. 


THE 

TWENTIETH  CENTURY 

NEW  TESTAMENT 

A   TRANSLATION   INTO 

MODERN    ENGLISH 

Made  from  the  original  Greek  (  WESTCOTT 

&  HORT'S  TEXT)  by  a  company  of 

about  twenty  scholars  representing 

the  various  sections  of  the 

Christian  Church 

REVISED   EDITION 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.   Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright 

1900 — 1901—1902 — 1903 — 1904 

BY  FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

Entered  at  Stationer's  Hall 

All  rights  reserved 


ft 


PREFACE. 


ENGLISH-SPEAKING  people  of  to-day  have  not,  until  quite 

A  TtTntoatl°n  recently.  had  the  opportunity  of  reading  the  Bible  in  the 

Modem        English  of  their  own  time.     Though  in  the  course  of  the 

last  hundred  years  the  Bible  has  been  translated  into  the 

vernacular  of  most  countries,  the  language  of  our  Bible  remains  the  English 

of  three  hundred  years  ago. 

This  translation  of  the  New  Testament  is  an  endeavour  to  do  for  the  Eng- 
lish nation  what  has  been  done  already  for  the  people  of  almost  all  other 
countries — to  enable  Englishmen  to  read  the  most  important  part  of  their 
Bible  in  that  form  of  their  own  language  which  they  themselves  use.  It  had 
its  origin  in  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  English  of  the  Authorized 
Version  (closely  followed  in  that  of  the  Revised  Version),  though  widely 
valued  for  its  antique  charm,  is  in  many  passages  difficult,  or  even  quite  un- 
intelligible to  the  modern  reader.  The  retention,  too,  of  a  form  of  English 
no  longer  in  common  use  is  liable  to  give  the  impression  that  the  contents  of 
the  Bible  have  little  to  do  with  the  life  of  to-day.  The  Greek  used  by  the 
New  Testament  writers  was  not  the  Classical  Greek  of  some  centuries  earlier, 
but  the  form  of  the  language  spoken  in  their  own  day.  Moreover  the  writers 
represent  those  whose  utterances  they  record  as  using  the  words  and  phrases 
of  every-day  life. 

We  believe  that  the  New  Testament  will  be  better  understood  by  modern 
readers  if  presented  in  a  modern  form ;  and  that  a  translation  of  it,  which 
presents  the  original  in  an  exalted  literary  and  antiquated  dress,  cannot, 
despite  its  "  aroma  "  and  the  tender  memories  that  have  gathered  around  it, 
really  make  the  New  Testament  for  the  reader  of  to-day  the  living  reality 
that  it  was  to  its  first  readers.  In  this  respect  the  present  translation  differs 
altogether  in  its  aim  from  that  of  the  Revised  Version  of  1881.  No  attempt 
is  made  in  that  Version  to  translate  the  original  into  the  language  of  our  own 
time.  Its  authors  state  in  their  preface  : 

"  We  have  faithfully  adhered  to  the  rule  that  the  alterations  to  be  introduced  should  be  ex- 
pressed, as  far  as  possible,  in  the  language  of  the  Authorized  Version,  or  of  the 
Versions  that  preceded  it." 

Our  constant   effort,  on  the  contrary,  has  been  to  exclude  all  words  and 


iv.  PREFACE. 

phrases  not  used  in  current  English.  \Ve  have,  however,  followed  the 
modern  practice  of  using  an  older  phraseology  in  the  rendering  of  poetical 
passages,  and  of  quotations  from  tHe  Old  Testament,  and  in  the  language  of 
prayer. 

The  translation  of  1611,  known  as  the  "Authorized  Ver- 
Neitber  a 

Revision  nor  sion,"  was  the  outcome  of  many  successive  revisions  of  the 
a  Paraphrase.  translation  completed  by  Tyndale  in  1534,  which  was,  at 
least  to  some  extent,  founded  on  that  completed  by  Wycliffe  about  1380. 
Further,  the  last  named  translation  was  not  made  from  the  original  Greek, 
but  from  the  Latin  Version,  known  as  the  Vulgate.  The  present  translation 
is  not  a  revision  of  any  previous  one,  but  is  made  directly  from  the  Greek. 
Nor  is  it  a  paraphrase.  A  paraphrase  might  be  useful  as  a  help  to  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  New  Testament,  but  it  would  not  be  the  New  Testament 
itself.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  our  work  is  more  than  a  verbal  translation. 
No  purely  verbal  rendering  can  ever  adequately  represent  the  thoughts  con- 
veyed in  the  idioms  of  another  language.  In  this  translation,  not  only  has 
every  word  been  carefully  weighed,  but  also  the  emphasis  placed  upon  every 
word,  and  the  effort  has  been  made  to  give  the  exact  force  and  meaning  in 
idiomatic  modern  English. 

The  Greek          Since  the  publication  of  the  Authorized  Version  of  1611, 
Text.  more  than  1,500  manuscripts  of  the  whole  or  of  parts  of  the 

New  Testament  have  been  discovered  or  have  become  accessible,  and  among 
them  are  the  three  oldest  and  most  important.  The  Greek  text  here  trans- 
lated, that  of  Westcott  and  Hort,  is  mainly  founded  on  the  oldest  manuscripts, 
and  may  be  said  to  represent  that  form  of  the  text  of  the  New  Testament 
which  was  generally  in  use  in  the  Church  at  the  end  of  the  Third  Century. 
Parallel  A  large  amount  of  time  and  care  has  been  expended 

Passages.  upon  those  passages  of  the  gospels  which  record  the  same, 
or  similar,  events  or  discourses,  in  order  to  show  the  remarkable  similarities, 
and  the  no  less  remarkable  divergences,  which  abound  in  them.  Such  pas- 
sages are  common  in  the  first  three  gospels,  while  in  the  fourth  they  are  more 
numerous  than  is  generally  supposed.  Dr.  Westcott  writes : 


"The  English  reader  has  a  right  to  expect  that  he  will  find  in  the  Revision  which  is  placed 
in  his  hands  a  faithful  indication  of  the  verbal  agreement  or  difference  between  the 
several  narratives." 


In  addition  to  such  help  as  that  referred  to  by  Dr.  Westcott,  the  English 
reader  should  now  be  able,  to  some  extent,  to  study  the  origins  of  the  gospels, 
and  to  discern  their  relation  to  a  common  source.  Great  advances  have  been 
made  in  the  study  of  this  subject  since  the  issue  of  the  Authorized  and  even 


PREFACE.  V. 

of  the  Revised  Version.     There  are  still,  however,  minute  points  where  such 
an  indication  as  that  required  by  Dr.  Westcott  seems  impossible. 

The    numerous   and  important  quotations  from  the  Old 
Quotations      _ 

and  lestament  are  in  this  translation  set  out  in  modern  form; 

"p^J^s"^*  but  minor  quotations  (i.  <•.,  those  not  specially  introduced  as 
quotations)  from  the  Old  Testament,  the  Apocrypha,  the 
Book  of  Enoch,  and  other  sources,  are  placed  between  single  inverted  com- 
mas; while,  at  the  foot  of  the  pages,  references  are  given  to  some  of  the 
vast  number  of  places,  in  which  the  writers  consciously  or  unconsciously  bor- 
row the  phraseology  of  the  Old  Testament.  This  will  enable  the  reader  to 
see  how  familiar  the  writers  were  with  the  very  words  and  phrases  of  the 
Septuagint  Version  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  how  insensibly  it  influenced 
them  in  describing  the  events  of  their  own  day. 

Proper  The  names  of  persons  and  places  we  have,  as  a  rule,  left 

Names.  jn  ^  forms  wjth  which  English  readers  have  been  made 
familiar  by  the  Authorized  and  Revised  Versions,  except  where  a  change  in 
the  spelling  seemed  likely  to  show  the  correct  pronunciation. 

We  have  attempted  to  give  measures  of  space  and  time, 
Measures, 
Coins,          the  values  of  coins,  and  also  official  titles  in  their  nearest 

and  Titles.       f      i-  u  i 

English  equivalents. 

Bracketed  A  few  passages,  numbering  fourteen  in  all,  will  be  found 

Passages.        placed   between    square    brackets.     These    are  judged   by 

Westcott  and  Hort  "  not  to  have  originally  formed  part  of  the  work  in  which 

they  occur,"  but  to  be  "  stray  relics  from  the  Apostolic  or  sub- Apostolic  age." 

The  three  most  important  of  these  will  be  found  at  pages  39  and  210. 

Order  of  the  The  order,  in  which  the  Books  and  Letters  of  the  New 
Books.  Testament  appear  in  this  translation,  is  due  to  the  desire 
not  to  inconvenience  a  reader,  familiar  with  the  old  order,  more  than  is  neces- 
sary, but,  at  the  same  time,  to  make  an  advance  in  the  direction  of  such  a 
chronological  arrangement,  as  modern  research  has  rendered  possible.  Three 
main  divisions  have  been  adopted,  suggested  by  the  character  of  the  books — 
Historical  Books,  Letters,  and  an  Apocalypse ;  and,  in  the  sub-divisions,  the 
Letters  have  been  grouped  under  the  names  of  those  writers  to  whom  they 
have  been  traditionally  attributed.  Within  these  sub-divisions  the  Books  and 
Letters  stand  in  a  probable  chronological  arrangement. 

It  is  certain  that  our  translation  will  not  be  acceptable  to  those  who  regard 
any  attempt  to  re-translate  the  New  Testament  as  undesirable,  if  not  danger- 
ous. It  is,  nevertheless,  hoped  that,  by  this  modern  translation,  the  New 
Testament  may  become  a  living  reality  to  many  by  whom  the  Authorized 
Version,  with  all  its  acknowledged  beauties,  is  but  imperfectly  understood  or 
nerer  read. 


VI.  PREFACE. 

In  this  hope,  we  now  commend  this  translation,  which  has  been  under- 
taken as  a  labour  of  love,  to  the  good-will  of  all  English-speaking  people, 
and  to  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God. 

THE  TRANSLATORS. 
September,  1904. 

NOTE. 

The  "  Tentative  Edition  "  of  this  Translation  was  issued  in  three  parts  be- 
tween 1898  and  1901.  In  that  Edition  we  endeavoured  to  discover  what  was 
practicable  in  a  modern  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  before  issuing  a 
permanent  edition.  This  Revision  of  our  Translation,  rendered  necessary  by 
the  large  demand  for  our  "  Tentative  Edition  "  in  every  part  of  the  English- 
speaking  world,  amounts  practically  to  a  careful  re-translation  made  in  the 
light  of  experience  derived  from  our  previous  attempts,  and  of  the  many 
valuable  criticisms  that  have  been  received. 


THE  ORDER 

OF   THE 

BOOKS  AND  LETTERS 

AS   ARRANGED   IN   THIS   TRANSLATION 


MARK     

PAGE 
•7 

EPHESIANS  . 

PACK 

MATTHEW   .... 

41 

PHILIPPIANS 

•    3Q7 

LUKE      
JOHN 

.     101 

I.  TIMOTHY      .     . 
II.  TIMOTHY 

.       .    405 

TITUS     .... 

42t 

ACTS      

JAMES     

HEBREWS    .     .     . 

.      .    429 

/  J 

I.  PETER 

451 

I.  THESSALONIANS 
II.  THESSALONIANS    . 

.     28l 
.     289 

II.  PETER    .     .     . 

JUDE         .... 

.    461 
.    460 

GALATIANS  .... 
I.  CORINTHIANS     . 

•     295 

•  3°7 

I.  JOHN  .... 

.    475 

II.  CORINTHIANS  . 

•  331 

II  JOHN 

ROMANS      .... 

•  349 

III.  JOHN     .     .     . 

489 

COLOSSIANS      .     .     . 
PHILEMON    . 

•  375 
.   *8* 

REVELATION 

.    4Q-* 

CONTENTS. 


A — THE    HISTORICAL    BOOKS. 

L— THE  GOSPELS. 

(i).     THE  SYNOPTICAL  GOSPELS. 

(a).    ACCORDING  TO  MARK. 

I. — THE  PREPARATION.    Chap.  i.  i — 13.  PAGE 

The  Baptist  and  his  Message 5 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus 5 

The  Temptation  of  Jesus    .    .        5 

II. — THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE.     Chaps,  i.  14 — 9.  50. 

Jesus  begins  His  Work 6 

The  first  Disciples 6 

Cure  of  a  possessed  Man 6 

Cure  of  Peter's  Mother-in-law  and  of  many  others    ......    6 

Jesus  retires  for  Prayer 7 

Cure  of  a  Leper 7 

Cure  of  a  paralyzed  Man 7 

Call  of  Levi 8 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  not  observing" the  Law 8 

Cure  of  a  Man  with  a  Withered  Hand 9 

Cures  by  the  Lake-side 9 

The  twelve  Apostles 10 

Jesus  and  His  Relations JO 

Jesus  accused  of  Acting  by  the  Help  of  Satan 10 

The  true  Brotherhood IO 

Parable  of  the  Sower      ....    ,~  —.—i*^. 10 

Lesson  from  a  Lamp II 

Parable  of  the  Seed  growing  unobserved 12 

Parable  of  the  Mustard  Seed 12 

Jesus  stills  a  Storm 12 

Cure  of  a  Madman 12 

The  Raising  of  the  Daughter  of  Jaeirus 13 

Cure  of  an  afflicted  Woman 14 

Jesus  teaches  at  Nazareth 15 

The  Mission  of  the  twelve  Apostles 15 

The  Death  of  the  Baptist 15 

The  Return  of  the  Apostles 16 

Tesus  feeds  five  thousand  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee 1 6 

A* 


x.  CONTENTS. 

ACCORDING  TO  MARK—  Cont. 

THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE — Cont.  PAGE 

Jesus  walks  on  the  Water 17 

Jesus  at  Gennesaret 17 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  neglecting  Ceremonies 17 

Cure  of  a  Syrian  Girl  near  Tyre 18 

Cure  of  a  deaf  Mute 19 

Jesus  feeds  four  thousand 19 

Warning  against  the  Teaching  of  the  Pharisees 20 

Cure  of  a  blind  Man  at  Bethsaida 20 

Peter's  Confession  of  the  Christ 20 

Jesus  foretells  His  Death 21 

A  Call  to  renounce  Self 21 

The  Transfiguration 21 

A  Question  about  Elijah 21 

Cure  of  an  Epileptic  Boy 22 

Jesus  a  second  time  foretells  His  Death .23 

Jesus  teaches  at  Capernaum — 

On  Humility 23 

On  Toleration 23 

Against  hindering  Others 23 

III. — THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM.     Chap.  10.  i — 52. 

A  Question'  about  Divorce 24 

Jesus  blesses  little  Children 24 

The  Responsibilities  of  Wealth 24 

Jesus  a  third  time  foretells  His  Death 25 

The  Request  of  James  and  John 26 

The  Dignity  of  Service 26 

Cure  of  blind  Bartimaeus 26 

IV. — THE  LAST  DAYS.     Chaps,  n.  i — 15.  47. 

Jesus  enters  Jerusalem • 27 

The  fruitless  Fig  Tree 27 

Jesus  in  the  Temple 27 
esus  and  the  Chief  Priests 28 

Parable  of  the  wicked  Tenants 28 

A  Question  about  Tribute 29 

A  Question  about  the  Resurrection 29 

The  Great  Commandment 30 

Christ  the  Son  of  David 30 

Warnings  against  the  Teachers  of  the  Law 31 

The  Widow's  Offering 31 

Jesus  foretells  the  Destruction  of  the  Temple  and  the  End  of 

the  Age    '. 31 

The  Need  for  Watchfulness 32 

The  Plot  against  Jesus 33 

Jesus  anointed  by  a  Woman  at  Bethany 33 

Judas  agrees  to  betray  Jesus 33 

The  Passover 33 

The  "  Lord's  Supper  " 34 

Peter's  Fall  foretold 34 

Jesus  in  Gethsemane 34 


CONTENTS.  xi 

ACCORDING  TO  MARK—  Cont. 

THE  LAST  DAYS — Cont.  PAGE 

The  Arrest  of  Jesus 35 

Jesus  before  the  High  Priest      .    .    .    .' 35 

Peter  disowns  Jesus 36 

Jesus  before  the  Roman  Governor 36 

The  Crucifixion  of  Jesus 37 

The  Death  of  Jesus 38 

The  Burial  of  Jesus 38 

V. — THE  RISEN  LIFE  ANNOUNCED.     Chap.  16.  1—20. 

The  Resurrection  of  Jesus 39 

A  Late  Appendix 39 

Another  Appendix 40 

(A).    ACCORDING  TO  HATTHEW. 

I. — THE  BIRTH,  PARENTAGE,  AND  INFANCY.     Chaps,  i.  i — 3.  23. 

The  Ancestors  of  Jesus 43 

The  Birth  of  Jesus 44 

The  Visit  of  the  Astrologers 45 

The  Flight  into  Egypt 45 

II. — THE  PREPARATION.     Chaps.  3.  i — 4.  u. 

The  Baptist  and  his  Message 46 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus 47 

The  Temptation  of  Jesus 47 

III. — THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE.     Chaps.  4.  12 — 18.  35. 

Jesus  settles  at  Capernaum .48 

Jesus  begins  His  Work .48 

The  first  Disciples ,48 

Jesus  preaches  in  Galilee .49 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount — 

The  Happy .    .  49 

A  real  Disciple  of  Jesus .49 

Lesson  from  a  Lamp .49 

The  old  Law  and  the  new — 

on  Anger      eo 

on  Impurity co 

on  Divorce ...  50 

on  Oaths ei 

on  Revenge  .    .    .  v~. — ."  .    ...  ...  51 

on  Love ei 

About  Giving ...  51 

About  Praying 52 

The  "  Lord's  Prayer  " 52 

About  Fasting 52 

The  true  Treasure 52 

Light  and  Darkness 52 

True  Service 52 

The  Cares  of  Life 53 

On  Judging  Others 53 

Encouragement  to  Prayer 53 


Xll.  CONTENTS. 

ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW—  Cont. 

THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE — Cont.  PAGE 

The  Golden  Rule 53 

The  two  Roads •  •    •    •  54 

True  and  false  Teachers 54 

The  two  Foundations 54 

Cure  of  a  Leper 54 

Cure  of  an  Officer's  Servant 55 

Cure  of  Peter's  Mother-in-law  and  of  many  others 55 

Tests  of  Sincerity        55 

Jesus  stills  a  Storm 56 

Cure  of  two  Madmen 56 

Cure  of  a  paralyzed  Man 56 

Call  of  Matthew 57 

Jesus  blamed  for  His  Companions 57 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  not  Fasting 57 

The  Raising  of  the  Daughter  of  Jaeirus 57 

Cure  of  an  afflicted  Woman 57 

Cure  of  two  blind  Men 58 

Cure  of  a  dumb  Man 58 

The  Need  for  Workers 58 

The  twelve  Apostles 58 

The  Mission  of  the  twelve  Apostles 59 

The  Cost  of  Christ's  Service 60 

The  Baptist's  Message  to  Jesus 60 

The  Testimony  of  Jesus  to  the  Baptist 6 1 

The  Doom  of  the  Towns  of  Galilee 6r 

The  Child-like  Mind 62 

Jesus  invites  the  Weary          62 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  not  observing  the  Law 62 

Cure  of  a  man  with  a  withered  Hand 62 

Cure  of  a  blind  and  dumb  Man 63 

Jesus  accused  of  Acting  by  the  Help  of  Satan 63 

Words  a  test  of  Character 64 

Warning  against  seeking  Signs 64 

Danger  of  imperfect  Reformation 64 

The  true  Brotherhood 64 

Parable  of  the  Sower 65 

Parable  of  the  Tares 66 

Parable  of  the  Mustard  Seed 66 

Parable  of  the  Leaven 66 

Parable  of  the  Tares  explained 67 

Parable  of  the  Treasure ; 67 

Parable  of  the  Pearl 67 

Parable  of  the  Net 67 

New  and  Old  Truths 67 

Jesus  teaches  at  Nazareth 67 

The  Death  of  the  Baptist 68 

Jesus  feeds  five  thousand  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee 68 

Jesus  walks  on  the  Water 69 

Jesus  at  Gennesaret 69 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  neglecting  Ceremonies 69 


CONTENTS.  xiii. 

ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW—  Cent. 

THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE — Cont.  PAGE 

Cure  of  a  Syrian  Girl  near  Tyre 70 

Jesus  cures  many  Persons 71 

Jesus  feeds  four  thousand 71 

Signs  of  the  Times  .    .• 71 

Warning  against  the  Teaching  of  the  Pharisees 72 

Peter's  Confession  of  the  Christ 72 

Jesus  foretells  His  Death 72 

A  Call  to  renounce  Self 73 

The  Transfiguration 73 

A  Question  about  Elijah 73 

Cure  of  an  epileptic  Boy 74 

The  Power  of  Faith 74 

Jesus  a  second  time  foretells  His  Death 74 

A  Question  about  the  Temple-rate 74 

On  Humility 75 

Against  hindering  Others 75 

Parable  of  the  lost  Sheep 75 

On  dealing  with  Wrong-doers 75 

Encouragement  to  united  Prayer 76 

Parable  of  the  unforgiving  Servant 76 

IV. — THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM.     Chaps.  1 9.  i — 20.  34. 

A  Question  about  Divorce f6 

Jesus  blesses  little  Children 77 

The  Responsibilities  of  Wealth 77 

Parable  of  the  Labourers  in  the  Vineyard 78 

Jesus  a  third  time  foretells  His  Death 79 

The  Request  of  the  Mother  of  James  and  John 79 

The  Dignity  of  Service 79 

Cure  of  two  blind  Men 80 

V. — THE  LAST  DAYS.     Chaps,  ai.  i — 37.  66. 

Jesus  enters  Jerusalem 80 

Jesus  in  the  Temple 81 

The  fruitless  Fig  Tree        81 

Jesus  and  the  Chief  Priests 81 

Parable  of  the  two  Sons 82 

Parable  of  the  wicked  Tenants 82 

Parable  of  the  Marriage  Feast 83 

A  Question  about  Tribute  .    .    .~Jr~7TT' 83 

A  Question  about  the  Resurrection .84 

The  Great  Commandment 84 

Christ  the  Son  of  David 85 

Warnings  against  the  Teachers  of  the  Law 85 

Jesus  denounces  the  Pharisees 85 

Jesus  laments  the  fate  of  Jerusalem 86 

Jesus  foretells  the  Destruction  of  the  Temple  and  the  End  of  the 

Age 87 

The  Need  for  Watchfulness 88 

Parable  of  the  Good  and  Bad  Servants 89 

Parable  of  the  ten  Bridesmaids 89 


XIV.  CONTENTS. 

ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW—  Cont. 

THE  LAST  DAYS — Cont.  PAGE 

Parable  of  the  Talents 89 

The  Great  Judgment 90 

The  Plot  against  Jesus 91 

Jesus  anointed  by  a  Woman  at  Bethany 91 

Judas  agrees  to  betray  Jesus 92 

The  Passover 92 

The  "  Lord's  Supper  " 92 

Peter's  Fall  foretold 92 

Jesus  in  Gethsemane 93 

The  Arrest  of  Jesus 93 

Jesus  before  the  High  Priest 94 

Peter  disowns  Jesus 95 

The  End  of  Judas 95 

Jesus  before  the  Roman  Governor 96 

The  Crucifixion  of  Jesus 96 

The  Death  of  Jesus 97 

The  Burial  of  Jesus 98 

VI. — THE  RISEN  LIFE.     Chap.  28.  1—20. 

The  Resurrection  of  Jesus 98 

Jesus  appears  to  the  Apostles 99 

(<•).     ACCORDING  TO  LUKE. 

DEDICATION.     Chap.  i.  i — 4 103 

I. — THE    BIRTH,    PARENTAGE,   INFANCY,  AND    BOYHOOD.    Chaps, 
i.  5—2.  52. 

The  Birth  of  the  Baptist  foretold 103 

The  Birth  of  Jesus  foretold 104 

Mary's  visit  to  Elizabeth 105 

The  Birth  and  Circumcision  of  the  Baptist 106 

The  Birth  and  Circumcision  of  Jesus 107 

The  Presentation  of  Jesus  in  the  Temple 107 

The  Boyhood  of  Jesus 108 

II. — THE  PREPARATION.     Chaps.  3.  i — 4.  13. 

The  Baptist  and  his  Message  .    .    . ••>.• 109 

The  Baptism  of  Jesus no 

The  Ancestors  of  Jesus no 

The  Temptation  of  Jesus ill 

III. — THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE.     Chaps.  4.  14 — 9.  50. 

Jesus  begins  His  Work         112 

Jesus  teaches  at  Nazareth 1 1 2 

Cure  of  a  possessed  Man      113 

Cure  of  Peter's  Mother-in-law  and  of  many  others 113 

Jesus  retires  to  a  lonely  Place ....  113 

The  great  Catch  of  Fish "4 

Cure  of  a  Leper 1 14 

Cure  of  a  paralyzed  Man .'    .  115 

CallofLevi "5 


CONTENTS.  XV. 

ACCORDING  TO  LUKE—  Cont. 

THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE — Cont.  PAGE 

Jesus  blamed  for  His  companions 115 

The  Disciples  blamed  for  not  observing  the  Law         115 

Cure  of  a  Man  with  a  withered  Hand 116 

The  twelve  Apostles 117 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  — 

The  Happy 117 

The  Unhappy 117 

The  New  Law  — 

on  Love 117 

on  Revenge 117 

The  Golden  Rule 117 

On  judging  Others 118 

True  and  false  Teachers 118 

The  two  Foundations 118 

Cure  of  an  Officer's  Servant 119 

Raising  of  a  Widow's  Son „ 119 

The  Baptist's  Message  to  Jesus 119 

The  Testimony  of  Jesus  to  the  Baptist 120 

Jesus  anointed  by  a  Woman , 120 

Women  who  ministered  to  Jesus 121 

Parable  of  the  Sower 121 

Lesson  from  a  Lamp 122 

The  true  Brotherhood 122 

Jesus  stills  a  Storm 123 

Cure  of  a  Madman 123 

The  raising  of  the  Daughter  of  Jaeirus 124 

Cure  of  an  afflicted  Woman 124 

The  Mission  of  the  twelve  Apostles 125 

Herod  and  the  Baptist 125 

The  Return  of  the  Apostles          125 

Jesus  feeds  five  thousand  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee 125 

Peter's  Confession  of  the  Christ 126 

Jesus  foretells  His  Death 126 

A  Call  to  renounce  Self 126 

The  Transfiguration 126 

Cure  of  an  epileptic  Boy 127 

Jesus  a  second  time  foretells  His  Death 127 

On  Humility 127 

On  Toleration 127 

IV. — THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM.     Chaps.  9.  51 — 19.  28. 

Tests  of  Sincerity 128 

The  Mission  of  the  Seventy 128 

The  Doom  of  the  Towns  of  Galilee 129 

The  Return  of  the  Seventy 129 

The  Childlike  Mind 129 

The  Great  Commandment 129 

The  Good  Samaritan        130 

The  Sisters  of  Bethany 130 

The  "  Lord's  Prayer  " 131 


xvi.  CONTENTS, 

ACCORDING  TO  LUKE—  Cont. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM— Cont.  FACE 

Persistence  in  Prayer 131 

Encouragement  to  Prayer 131 

Cure  of  a  dumb  Man 131 

Jesus  accused  of  Acting  by  the  Help  of  Satan 131 

Danger  of  imperfect  Reformation 132 

Warning  against  seeking  Signs 132 

Lesson  from  a  Lamp 132 

Light  and  Darkness 132 

Jesus  denounces  the  Pharisees 132 

A  Plot  against  Jesus 133 

Warnings  and  Encouragements 133 

Instances  of  Covetousness 134 

The  Cares  of  Life 134 

The  true  Treasure 135 

Watchfulness 135 

Parable  of  the  good  and  bad  Servants 135 

The  Cost  of  Christ's  Service 136 

Signs  of  the  Times 136 

The  Settlement  of  Disputes 136 

The  Meaning  of  Calamities 136 

The  barren  Fig  Tree 136 

A  Woman  healed  on  the  Sabbath 137 

Parable  of  the  Mustard  Seed 137 

Parable  of  the  Leaven 137 

The  narrow  Door 137 

A  Message  to  Herod  Antipas 138 

Jesus  laments  the  Fate  of  Jerusalem 138 

Cure  of  a  dropsical  Man 138 

Lessons  on  Humility  and  Hospitality 139 

Parable  of  the  great  Dinner 139 

The  Cost  of  Self-denial 14° 

A  real  Disciple  of  Jesus 14° 

Parable  of  the  lost  Sheep 14° 

Parable  of  the  lost  Coin 14° 

Parable  of  the  lost  Son         141 

Parable  of  the  dishonest  Steward I42 

True  Service 142 

Jesus  rebukes  the  Pharisees I42 

Parable  of  the  rich  Man  and  Lazarus 143 

Against  hindering  Others 143 

On  dealing  with  Wrong-doers 143 

The  Power  of  Faith 143 

Duty 143 

Jesus  heals  ten  Lepers 144 

The  Coming  of  the  Kingdom 144 

Parable  of  the  corrupt  Judge 145 

Parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Tax-gatherer 145 

Jesus  blesses  little  Children 145 

The  Responsibilities  of  Wealth 146 

Jesus  a  third  time  foretells  His  Death 146 


CONTENTS.  XVU. 

ACCORDING  TO  LUKE— Cent. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM — Cont.  PAGE 

Cure  of  a  blind  Man 147 

Zacchaeus  the  Tax-gatherer 147 

Parable  of  the  Pounds 147 

V. — THE  LAST  DAYS.     Chaps.  19.  29—33.  56. 

Jesus  enters  Jerusalem 148 

Jesus  in  the  Temple 149 

Jesus  and  the  Chief  Priests 149 

Parable  of  the  wicked  Tenants 150 

A  Question  about  Tribute 150 

A  Question  about  the  Resurrection 151 

Christ  the  Son  of  David 151 

Warnings  against  the  Teachers  of  the  Law 152 

The  Widow's  Offering 152 

Jesus  foretells  the  Destruction  of  the  Temple  and  the  End  of  the 

Age 152 

The  Need  for  Watchfulness 153 

The  Plot  against  Jesus 154 

Judas  agrees  to  betray  Jesus 154 

The  Passover 154 

The  "  Lord's  Supper  " 154 

The  Dignity  of  Service 155 

Peter's  Fall  foretold 155 

The  End  at  Hand 155 

Jesus  on  the  Mount  of  Olives 155 

The  Arrest  of  Jesus 156 

Jesus  before  the  High  Priest 156 

Peter  disowns  Jesus 156 

Jesus  before  the  Chief  Priests 157 

Jesus  before  the  Roman  Governor 157 

Jesus  before  Herod 157 

Jesus  again  before  the  Roman  Governor 158 

The  Crucifixion  of  Jesus 158 

The  penitent  Robber 159 

The  Death  of  Jesus 159 

The  Burial  of  Jesus 159 

VI. — THE  RISEN  LIFE.     Chap.  24.  i — 53. 

The  Resurrection  of  Jesus 160 

Jesus  appears  on  the  road  to  Emmaus 160 

Jesus  appears  to  the  Apostles 161 

Jesus  ascends  to  Heaven .    .  162 

(2).     A  LATER  GOSPEL. 
ACCORDING  TO  JOHN. 

INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i — 18 165 

I. — THE  PREPARATION.     Chap.  i.  19 — 51. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Baptist  to  Jesus 166 

The  first  Disciples  of  Jesus 167 


XV111.  CONTENTS. 

ACCORDING  TO  JOHN—  Cont. 

II. — THE    WORK    IN    JUDAEA,    GALILEE,    AND    SAMARIA.    Chaps. 

a.  i — ii.  57.  PAGE 

Jesus  at  a  Wedding  at  Cana 168 

Jesus  at  Capernaum 168 

Jesus  at  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem 168 

The  Visit  of  Nicodemus  to  Jesus 169 

The  Baptist's  Testimony  to  Jesus  in  Judaea 170 

Jesus  and  the  Woman  of  Samaria 171 

Jesus  cures  an  Officer's  Son  in  Galilee 173 

Jesus  cures  a  Cripple  in  Jerusalem  on  the  Sabbath 173 

Jesus  defends  His  Action  and  explains  His  Mission 174 

Jesus  feeds  five  thousand  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee .  175 

Jesus  walks  on  the  Water 176 

Jesus  teaches  at  Capernaum  — 

The  Bread  of  Life 176 

Jesus  and  His  Brothers 179 

Jesus  teaches  at  the  Festival  of  Tabernacles  in  Jerusalem  .    .    .  179 

The  "  Living  Water  " 180 

The  "  Light  of  the  World  " 181 

Jesus  defends  His  Mission  and  Authority 181 

Jesus  cures  a  Man  born  blind 183 

The  »  Good  Shepherd  " 185 

Jesus  at  the  Re-dedication  Festival ...  186 

Jesus  retires  beyond  the  Jordan 187 

Jesus  raises  Lazarus  to  Life  at  Bethany 187 

The  Chief  Priests  plot  the  Death  of  Jesus  .    ...        189 

Jesus  retires  to  Ephraim 190 

III. — THE  LAST  DAYS.     Chaps.  12.   i — 19.  42. 

Jesus  anointed  by  Mary  at  Bethany 190 

Jesus  publicly  enters  Jerusalem  for  the  Last  Time 191 

Jesus  closes  His  public  Ministry 191 

Jesus  washes  the  Disciples'  Feet 193 

Jesus  points  out  the  Betrayer 194 

Jesus  teaches  His  Disciples  privately  — 

The  New  Commandment 194 

The  Way 195 

The  Helper ; 195 

The  Vine  and  the  Branches 196 

The  World  and  the  Spirit  of  Truth 197 

Words  of  Farewell 198 

The  Prayer  of  Jesus ,  199 

Jesus  in  Gethsemane 200 

The  Arrest  of  Jesus  . 201 

Peter  disowns  Jesus 201 

Jesus  before  the  High  Priest        201 

Jesus  before  the  Roman  Governor 202 

The  Crucifixion  of  Jesus 204 

The  Death  of  Jesus 204 

The  Burial  of  Jesus  .    .    .    .    i 205 


CONTENTS.  XIX. 

ACCORDING  TO  JOHN—  Cent. 

IV. — THE  RISEN  LIFE.  Chaps.  20.  i — 21.  25.  PAGE 

The  Resurrection  of  Jesus 205 

Jesus  appears  to  Mary 206 

Jesus  appears  to  the  Apostles 206 

Jesus  appears  to  Thomas 207 

The  Object  of  this  Gospel 207 

A  later  Appearance  of  Jesus 207 

Jesus'  last  Words  to  Peter 208 

Conclusion 209 

A  PASSAGE  ABOUT  AN  ADULTERESS 210 

II.— THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

ACTS  OF  APOSTLES. 

I. — THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  JEWS.     Chaps,  i.  i — 12.  25. 
Doings  of  the  Apostles  Peter  and  John  — 

Introduction 213 

Ascension  of  Jesus ...213 

The  Apostles  in  Jerusalem 214 

Appointment  of  Matthias 214 

The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit 215 

Peter's  Address 215 

Early  Days  of  the  Christian  Society 217 

Cure  of  a  lame  Beggar 217 

Peter's  Address  in  the  Temple 218 

Peter  and  John  before  the  Council 219 

The  Common  Fund      220 

Punishment  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira 221 

Miracles  done  by  the  Apostles 221 

Peter  and  John  again  before  the  Council 222 

Appointment  of  "  The  Seven  ". 223 

Stephen's  Ministry  and  Trial 224 

Stephen's  Defense 224 

Stephen's  Martyrdom 227 

The  First  Persecution 227 

Philip's  Ministry  in  Samaria 227 

Peter  and  John  at  Samaria 228 

Philip  and  the  Abyssinian 228 

Saul's  Conversion 229 

Saul  at  Damascus 230 

Saul  at  Jerusalem  and  Tarsus 231 

Peter's  Miracles  at  Lydda  and  Jaffa 231 

Peter  and  Cornelius 232 

First  Conversion  of  Gentiles 234 

Peter's  Defense  of  his  Action  . .  234 

"  Christians  "  at  Antioch 235 

Errand  of  Barnabas  and  Saul  to  Judrea 236 

Persecution  of  the  Church  by  Herod  Agrippa  I 236 

Herod's  Death 237 


XX.  CONTENTS. 

ACTS  OF  APOSTLES—  Cont. 

11.— THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  GENTILES.     Chaps.  13.  i — 28.31.         PAGE 
Doings  of  the  Apostle  Paul  — 

Paul's  first  Missionary  Journey  — 

The  Start  from  Antioch 237 

Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Cyprus 238 

Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Pisidian  Anlioch 238 

Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Iconium 240 

Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Lystra 241 

Paul  and  Barnabas  return  to  Pisidian  Antioch  ....  241 
Paul  and  Barnabas  again  at  Syrian  Antioch  ....  242 
The  Council  at  Jerusalem 242 

Paul's  second  Missionary  Journey  — 

Paul  separates  from  Barnabas 244 

Paul  joined  by  Timothy  at  Lystra 244 

Paul  determines  to  cross  to  Macedonia 245 

Paul  at  Philippi 245 

Paul  at  Thessalonica 246 

Paul  at  Bercea 247 

Paul  at  Athens 247 

Paul  at  Corinth 249 

Paul's  Return 249 

Paul's  third  Missionary  Journey  — 

Tour  in  Galatia 250 

ApollcJs 250 

Paul  at  Ephesus 250 

Paul  plans  to  visit  Jerusalem  and  Rome 251 

The  Riot  at  Ephesus 25 1 

Paul  again  in  Greece  and  Macedonia 252 

Paul  at  Troas 253 

Paul  at  Miletus 253 

Paul  at  Tyre 254 

Paul  at  Csesarea 255 

Paul  arrives  at  Jerusalem 255 

Paul's  Arrest 256 

Paul's  Defense  to  the  People  of  Jerusalem 257 

Paul's  claim  as  a  Roman  Citizen 258 

Paul  before  the  High  Council  of  the  Jews 258 

The  Plot  against  Paul 259 

Paul  sent  to  Coesarea 260 

Paul  before  Felix 260 

Paul  before  Festus 262 

Paul  before  Herod  Agrippa  II 263 

Paul's  Voyage  to  Rome 265 

Paul  is  shipwrecked ....  267 

Paul  at  Malta 267 

Paul's  Voyage  to  Rome  continued 268 

Paul  at  Rome    .  .  268 


CONTENTS.  XXI. 

B.— THE  LETTERS. 

I.— THE  LETTER  ATTRIBUTED  TO  ST.  JAMES. 
FROM  JAflES. 

I. — GREETING.    Chap.  i.  i 275 

II. — ADVICE  UPON  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS.     Chap.  i.  2—27. 

Trials 275 

Lack  of  Wisdom 275 

Wealth  and  Poverty 275 

Temptation 275 

True  Religion 276 

III. — WARNING  UPON  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS.     Chaps,  a.  i — 5.  6. 

On  the  Treatment  of  the  Poor 276 

On  "  Faith  and  Works  " 277 

On  the  Control  of  the  Tongue 278 

Against  false  Wisdom 278 

Against  Party-Strife 278 

Against  Presumption 279 

Against  Oppression 279 

IV. — CONCLUDING  EXHORTATIONS.     Chap.  5.  7 — 20. 

Christian  Patience 280 

Against  Oaths 280 

The  Power  of  Prayer 280 

The  Blessedness  of  Saving  a  Soul 280 

II.— THE  LETTERS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  ST.  PAUL. 

(i).     AN  EARLY  GROUP. 

(«).    TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.-I. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i. 

Greeting 283 

II. — THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS.     Chaps,  i.  2 — 3.  13. 

His  Thankfulness  for  their  Faith  and  its  Influence 283 

His  Life  amopg  them 284 

Their  Persecution  by  their  Fellow-citizens    . 284 

Frustrated  Plans 285 

Timothy's  Mission 285 

The  Apostle's  Prayer  for  his  Converts 285 

III. — ADVICE  UPON  THE  DAILY  LIFE.     Chap.  4.  i — 12. 

Warning  against  Immorality '. 286 

Brotherly  Love 286 

The  Duty  of  Work 286 

IV. — THE  DEAD  IN  CHRIST  AT  THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD. 
Chaps.  4.  13 — 5.  n. 

The  Living  and  the  Dead 286 

The  Time  of  the  Lord's  Coming 287 

The  Necessity  for  Watchfulness 287 


xxii.  CONTENTS. 

TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.— I.— Cont. 
V. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  5.  12 — 28.  PAGE 

Final  Counsels 287 

Farewell 288 

(b).    TO  THE  THESSALONIANS. -II. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i — 2. 

Greeting , , 291 

II. — THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS.     Chap.  i.  3 — 12. 

His  Thankfulness  and  Confidence 291 

His  Prayer  for  them 292 

III. — EVENTS    THAT    MUST    PRECEDE    THE    LORD'S   COMING.     Chap. 
2.  1—17. 

The  "  Man  of  Sin  "  and  the  "  Great  Apostasy  " 292 

The  Need  for  Steadfastness 292 

IV. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  3.  i — 18. 

Mutual  Prayer 293 

The  Duty  of  Work 293 

The  Apostle's  Autograph  Farewell 293 

(2).     THE  MAIN  GROUP. 

(a).    TO  THE  QALATIANS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i — 10. 

Greeting 297 

The  Apostle's  Disappointment 297 

II. — THE     INDEPENDENCE     OF    THE     APOSTLE'S     GOSPEL.    Chaps. 
i.  ii— a.  14. 

Its  Special  Revelation 297 

His  Special  Call 298 

His  independent  Action 298 

His  Rebuke  to  Peter 299 

III. — THE  LAW  AND  THE  GOSPEL.    Chaps,  a.  15 — 4.  31. 

The  Failure  of  the  Law 299 

The  Galatians  misled  as  to  the  Law 299 

Faith,  not  Law,  the  Ground  of  Acceptance 300 

The  Purpose  of  the  Law 301 

The  Effect  of  the  Gospel 301 

The  retrograde  Spirit  of  the  Galatians 301 

The  Apostle  and  his  Converts 302 

An  Allegory  of  the  Law  and  the  Gospel 302 

IV — THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  DAILY  LIFE.    Chaps.  5.  i— 6.  10. 

Christian  Freedom 303 

The  Limits  of  Christian  Freedom 303 

The  Guidance  of  the  Spirit 303 

V. — CONCLUSION    IN    THE    APOSTLE'S  OWN   HANDWRITING.     Chap. 

6.  11—18 305 


CONTENTS.  xxiii. 

(6).    TO  THE  CORINTHIANS.— I. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — 9.  PAGE 

Greeting 309 

The  Apostle's  Thankfulness  and  Confidence 309 

II THE  STATE  OF  THE  CHURCH  AT  CORINTH.     Chaps,  i.  10 — 6.  20. 

Prevalence  of  Party  Spirit 309 

The  Power  of  the  Cross 310 

"  Weakness  "  and  "  Strength." 310 

Philosophy  and  Revelation ...  311 

The  true  Position  and  Work  of  the  Apostles 312 

A  flagrant  case  of  Immorality 314 

Lawsuits  between  Christians 314 

The  Sacredness  of  the  Body 315 

III. — ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONS  ASKED  BY  THE  CHURCH  AT  CORINTH. 

Chaps.  7.   i — 1 4.  40. 
On  Marriage  — 

The  Apostle's  Views 315 

Marriages  with  Unbelievers 316 

Christianity  independent  of  Conditions  of  Life 316 

Difficulties  connected  with  Marriage 317 

On  Heathen  Festivals  — 

A  Question  of  Conscience 318 

The  Apostle's  Example 318 

A  Warning  from  History 320 

The  Apostle's  Conclusions 320 

On  Public  Worship  — 

As  to  Covering  the  Head 321 

As  to  the  "  Lord's  Supper  " 322 

On  Spiritual  Gifts  — 

Their  Variety  and  Unity 323 

Love  the  greatest  of  all 324 

The  Gift  of  the  "  Tongues  "  and  the  Gift  of  Preaching   .    .  324 
The  Necessity  for  Order 326 

IV. — THE  APOSTLE'S  TEACHING  AS  TO  THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE 

DEAD.     Chap.  i5.  i — 58 327 

V. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  16.   i — 24. 

The  Collection  for  the  Poor  at  Jerusalem 329 

The  Apostle's  Plans 329 

Timothy 330 

Apollos 330 

Exhortations '  .  330 

Farewells 330 

The  Apostle's  own  Farewell 330 

(0.    TO  THE  CORINTHIANS.-II. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i— u. 

Greeting 333 

The  Apostle's  Thanksgiving  for  Encouragement 333 


CONTENTS. 

TO  THE  CORINTHIANS.— II.—  Coat. 

II. — THE    APOSTLE'S    RELATIONS    WITH     HIS    CONVERTS.     Chaps. 

I.  12 — 3.  3.  PAGE 

The  Purity  of  his  Motives 334 

The  Postponement  of  his  Visit 334 

His  Converts  the  Vindication  of  his  Ministry 335 

III. — THE  MINISTRY  OF  THE  APOSTLES.     Chaps.  3.  4 — 6.  10. 

The  Glory  of  the  Gospel  contrasted  with  the  Glory  of  the  Law  .  335 

The  Weakness  of  the  Apostles 336 

Christ  their  Motive  and  Strength 337 

IV. — THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS.     Chaps.  6.  n — 7.  16. 

His  Appeal  for  their  Love 339 

His  Warning  against  Heathen  Influences 339 

His  Anxieties  and  Encouragements 339 

V. — THE  PALESTINE  FAMINE  FUND.    Chaps.  8.  1—9.  15. 

The  Example  of  the  Macedonian  Churches 340 

The  Completion  of  the  Collection  at  Corinth 341 

Titus  and  others  to  assist 341 

The  Spirit  in  which  to  make  the  Collection  .    .    .    , 342 

VI. — THE  APOSTLE'S  CLAIMS  AND  AUTHORITY.    Chaps.  10.  i — 12.  10. 

The  Assertion  of  his  Authority 342 

His  Right  as  an  Apostle 343 

His  Claims  for  Consideration;  his  Life  and  Work 344 

His  Visions 345 

VII. — CONCLUSION.— Chaps.  12.  n— 13.  14- 

A  Remonstrance 34-6 

A  Defence      34& 

A  Warning 34^ 

Farewells 347 

(</).     TO  THE  ROMANS. 

I INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  1-13. 

The  Apostle's  Greeting 35* 

The  Apostle's  Thankfulness  and  Hope 351 

II. — FAITH  THE  ONE  GROUND  OF  ACCEPTANCE  WITH  GOD.    Chaps. 
i.  14—5.  21. 

The  Divine  Ideal  for  Mankind 352 

Failure  of  the  Gentile  to  reach  this  Ideal 352 

Failure  of  the  Jew  to  reach  this  Ideal 353 

The  One  Hope  for  Jew  and  Gentile  alike 354 

Faith  the  Ground  of  Acceptance  before  the  Coming  of  the  Law  356 

Results  of  attaining  the  Divine  Ideal 357 

The  Divine  Ideal  recovered  in  the  Christ 35^ 


CONTENTS. 


TO  THE  ROMANS—  Cont. 


III. — CONSIDERATION  OF  DIFFICULTIES  ARISING  FROM  THIS  TEACHING. 

Chaps.  6.  i — 8.  39.  PAGE 

Is  this  Faith  consistent  with  a  Sinful  Life  ? 358 

Can  Law  deliver  from  a  Sinful  Life  ? 359 

God's  Deliverance  through  the  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit     .    .301 

IV. — THE  JEWS'  REJECTION  OF  THE  CHRIST.     Chaps.  9.  i — n.  36. 

The  Apostle's  Lament  over  Israel 363 

The  Justice  of  Israel's  Rejection  by  God   ....'."' 363 

The  Cause  of  Israel's  Rejection 364 

The  merciful  Purpose  in  Israel's  Rejection 366 

V. — ADVICE    UPON    THE    DAILY    LIFE     OF    CHRISTIANS.     Chaps. 
12    i— 15.  21. 

On  Christian  Sacrifice 368 

On  Christian  Membership 368 

On  Christian  Duties 368 

On  Obedience  to  the  Authorities     .    .    . 369 

On  Brotherly  Love 369 

On  the  Approach  of  "  The  Day  " 370 

On  Consideration  for  the  Scrupulous 370 

On  the  Reception  of  the  Gentiles 37 1 

VI CONCLUSION.     Chaps  i5.  22 — 16.  27. 

Personal  Plans 372 

The  Bearer  of  the  Letter 373 

Personal  Greetings 373 

A  Doxology 374 

(3).     THE    GROUP   WRITTEN    DURING   THE    ROMAN 
IMPRISONMENT. 

(a).    TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — 12. 

Greeting 377 

The  Apostle's  Thankfulness  and  Prayer 377 

II. — THE  PERSON  AND  WORK  OF  THE  CHRIST.     Chap.  i.  13 — 29. 

His  Deliverance 378 

His  Pre-eminence 378 

His  Reconciliation 378 

The  Apostle's  Share  in  this  Work 378 

III. — CHRIST  AND  THE  GNOSTIC  TEACHING.     Chaps.  2.  1—3.  4- 

The  Wisdom  of  God  in  Christ 379 

Union  with  Christ 379 

This  Union  obscured  by  Gnostic  Teaching 379 

Sharing  Christ's  Death ...  380 

Sharing  Christ's  Resurrection 380 


XXVI.  CONTENTS. 

TO  THE  COLOSSI ANS—Gmt. 

IV. — THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  DAILY  LIFE.     Chaps.  3.  5 — 4.  6.  PAGE 

The  Old  Life  and  the  New 380 

Christian  Family  Life 381 

Rules  for  Christian  Life 381 

V. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  4.  7 — 18. 

The  Bearers  of  the  Letter 381 

Personal  Greetings  and  Messages 382 

The  Apostle's  own  Farewell 382 

(6).    TO  PHILEHON. 

I.  —INTRODUCTION.      I — 3 385 

II. — THE    APOSTLE'S    REQUEST    CONCERNING  A  RUN-AWAY  SLAVE. 

4—22 385 

III. — MESSAGES  AND  BLESSING.    23 — 25 386 

(0-    TO  THE  EPHESIANS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — 14. 

Greeting 389 

The  Apostle's  Ascription  of  Praise 389 

il. — THE  POWER  OF  GOD  DISPLAYED  IN  CHRIST,  THE  HEAD  OF  THE 

CHURCH.     Chaps,  i.  15 — 2.  22. 

Prayer  for  Knowledge  of  this  Power 390 

This  Power  displayed  in  the  Resurrection  of  Christ 390 

This  Power  displayed  in  the  Conversion  of  the  Gentiles  ....  390 
This  Power  displayed  in  the  Union  of  Jew  and  Gentile  within 

the  Church 391 

III. — THE  APOSTLE'S  DIVINE  COMMISSION  TO  THE  GENTILES.    Chap. 

3.    I— 21. 

The  Gospel  made  known  to  the  Church  through  the  Apostle     .  391 
The  Gospel  made  known  to  the  Heavenly  Powers  through  the 

Church 392 

Prayer  that  the  Church  may  comprehend  this  Gospel 392 

Doxology 392 

IV. — THE  GOSPEL  AND  THE  DAILY  LIFE.     Chaps.  4.  i— 6.  20. 

Unity  in  Christ 392 

The  New  Life  and  the  Old 393 

Precepts  for  the  Daily  Life 394 

Christian  Family  Life 395 

The  Christian's  Armour 396 

V. — CONCLUSION.    Chap.  6.  21—24 396 


CONTENTS.  xxvii. 

(if).    TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — n.  PAGE 

Greeting     . 399 

The  Apostle's  Thankfulness  and  Prayer 399 

II. — THE  APOSTLE  IN  PRISON  AT  ROME.     Chap.  i.  12 — 26. 

The  Results  of  his  Imprisonment 399 

The  Spread  of  the  Gospel 400 

Life  or  Death 400 

III. — THE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE.     Chaps,  i.  27 — 2.  18. 

Unity 400 

Humility 401 

The  Great  Example 401 

Following  this  Example 401 

IV. — PERSONAL  PLANS.     Chaps.  2.  19 — 3.  i. 

Timothy 401 

Epaphroditus 402 

V. — JUDAISM  AND  CHRISTIANITY.    Chap.  3.  2 — 21. 

The  Apostle's  Warning 402 

The  Apostle's  Experience 402 

The  Apostle's  Example 403 

VI. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  4.  i — 23. 

Exhortations 403 

The  Gift  from  Philippi 404 

Farewell 404 

(4).     A  LATE  GROUP  OF  PASTORAL  LETTERS. 
(a).    TO  TIMOTHY.— I. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i — 20. 

Greeting 407 

Warning  against  False  Teaching 407 

The  Apostle's  Thankfulness  for  his  Call  to  the  Ministry      .    .    .408 
His  Charge  to  Timothy 408 

II. — GENERAL  DIRECTIONS  ON  CHURCH-MATTERS.     Chaps.  2.  i — 3.  13. 

Public  Prayer 408 

Public  Testimony -.-— .-rr^ 4°8 

Public  Worship 408 

Presiding  Officers 409 

Assistant  Officers 409 

III.— SPECIAL  DIRECTIONS  TO  TIMOTHY.     Chaps.  3.  14—6.  2. 

On  Dealing  with  False  Teachers 410 

On  the  Development  of  his  Powers 410 

On  his  Relations  with  those  under  his  Care 411 

On  the  Provision  for  Widows 411 

As  to  the  Officers  of  the  Church 411 

On  various  Subjects 412 

As  to  Slaves    .  412 


xxviii.  CONTENTS. 

TO  TIMOTHY.— I.— Cont. 

IV. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  6.  3 — 21.  t>AGfl 

False  Teaching 412 

True  Wealth 412 

Personal  Exhortations 413 

Blessing 413 

(b).    TO  TIMOTHY.— II. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  i.  i — 18. 

Greeting 417 

An  Appeal  to  Timothy 417 

Onesiphorus 418 

II. — INJUNCTIONS  TO  TIMOTHY.     Chaps,  a.  i — 4.  8. 

The  Service  of  the  Good  News 418 

The  Danger  of  Controversy 418 

Impending  Evils 419 

III. — CONCLUSION.    Chap.  4.  9 — 22. 

Personal  Messages 420 

Farewells  and  Blessing 421 

(0     TO  TITUS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — 4. 

Greeting 425 

II. — THE  MISSION  OF  TITUS  IN  CRETE.    Chaps,  i.  5—3.  n. 

The  Appointment  of  Officers  of  the  Church 425 

On  Dealing  with  False  Teachers 426 

On  his  Relations  with  those  under  his  Care 426 

The  inspiring  Motive 426 

Directions  as  to  his  Teaching 427 

III. — CONCLUSION.    Chap.  3.  12 — 15. 

Farewell  Messages,  and  Blessing 427 

III.— THE  ANONYMOUS  LETTER  TO  HEBREWS. 

TO  HEBREWS. 

I. — THE  PARAMOUNT  POSITION  OF  THE  CHRIST  AS  THE  MEDIATOR 
OF  THE  NEW  REVELATION.     Chaps,  i.  i — 6.  20. 

His  Superiority  to  Angels 431 

His  Superiority  to  Moses  and  Joshua 433 

His  Superiority  to  Aaron 435 

The  Superiority  of  the  Christian's  Position 436 

II. — THE     PARAMOUNT     PRIESTHOOD     OF    THE    CHRIST.     Chaps. 
7.  1-8.  13. 

Parallel  with  the  Priesthood  of  Melchizedek 437 

Superior  to  the  Levitical  Priesthood 439 


CONTENTS.  XXIX. 

TO  HEBREWS—  Cont. 

III. — THE    SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  NEW  REVELATION  TO  THE  OLD. 

Chaps.  9.  i — 10.  18.  PAGE 

As  regards  its  Sanctuary 440 

As  regards  its  Power  to  purify 440 

As  regards  its  High  Priest 441 

As  regards  its  Sacrifices 441 

IV. — ENCOURAGEMENT    AND    WARNING    BASED    ON    THE    PREVIOUS 

TEACHING.    Chap.  10.  19 — 39 442 

V. — HEROES  OF  FAITH.    Chaps,  n.  i — la.  13. 

The  Power  of  their  Faith 444 

The  Encouragement  of  their  Endurance 446 

The  Purpose  of  Discipline 446 

VI. — CONCLUSION.     Chaps.  ia.  14 — 13.  25. 

Exhortations 447 

Warnings 447 

Certain  Christian  Virtues 448 

Loyalty  to  Christ  and  the  Leaders  in  the  Church 448 

Final  Requests,  Messages,  and  Blessing 448 

IV.— THE  LETTERS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  ST.  PETER. 
(a).    FROfl  PETER.— I. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.    Chap.  i.  i — 2. 

Greeting 453 

II. — THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE  OF  SALVATION.    Chap.  i.  3—12     .   .   .  453 
III. — THE. CHRISTIAN'S  CHARACTER.     Chaps,  i.  13 — a.  10. 

Holiness  of  Life 454 

Brotherly  Love 454 

Innocence  455 

Consecration 455 

IV. — PRACTICAL  EXHORTATIONS  IN  VIEW  OF  THE  DANGERS  OF  THE 
TIMES.     Chaps,  a.  n — 4.  19. 

The  Necessity  of  setting  a  good  Example 455 

Submission  to  the  Civil  Authorities 455 

The  Duty  of  Servants 456 

The  Relations  between  Husbands  and  Wives 456 

Christian  Sympathy  and  Forbearance 456 

Endurance  after  the  Example  of  Christ 457 

Renunciation  of  the  Heathen  Life 457 

Self  control,  Love  and  Service 45^ 

The  Ordeal  of  Suffering 458 

V. — CONCLUSION.     Chap.  5.  i — 14. 

Special  Exhortations 458 

General  Exhortations 459 

Messages  and  Blessing     .......    f    .    ........  459 


XXX.  CONTENTS. 

(£).    FROM  PETER.— II. 

I. — INTRODUCTION.     Chap.  I.  i — n.  PAGE 

Greeting 463 

Christian  Privileges  and  Christian  Life 463 

II. — THE  TRANSFIGURATION  AND  THE  "  SECOND  COMING  "  OF  THE 

CHRIST.     Chap.  i.   12 — 21 464 

III. — WARNING  AGAINST  SEPARATING  CHRISTIANITY   FROM  A   HOLY 

LIFE.     Chap.  2.  i — 22 464 

IV. — A  REASSERTION  OF  THE  "  SECOND  COMING  "  OF  THE  CHRIST. 
Chap.  3.  i— 1 8. 

Long-delayed  but  certain 466 

"  The  Day  of  the  Lord  " 466 

The  needful  Preparation 466 

V.— THE   LETTER  ATTRIBUTED  TO  ST.  JUDE. 

FROM  JUDE. 

I. — INTRODUCTION,     i — 2. 

Greeting      471 

II. — WARNINGS  AGAINST  THE  MORAL  CORRUPTION  INTRODUCED  BY 
FALSE  TEACHERS.    3 — 23. 

The  Object  of  the  Letter 471 

The  false  Teachers  and  their  certain  Doom 47 1 

A  Christian's  Altitude  towards  these  Teachers 472 

III. — ASCRIPTION.     24 473 

VI.— THE  LETTERS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  ST.  JOHN. 

(a).     FROfl  JOHN.— I. 

I.— THE  IMMORTAL  LIFE.     Chaps,  i.  i — a.  17. 

Manifested  in  Christ     .    , 477 

Lived  in  the  Light 477 

II. — WARNINGS  AGAINST  ANTI-CHRIST.     Chap.  a.  18 — 29. 

The  Anti-Christs 478 

The  Christian's  Consecration 479 

III. — THE    PRIVILEGES    AND   DUTIES    OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.    Chap. 
3.  i — 24. 

The  Father's  Love 479 

The  Children's  Lives 479 

Love  of  "  The  Brethren  " 480 

IV. — TRUE  AND  FALSE  INSPIRATION.    Chap.  4.  i — 6. 

The  Test  of  Inspiration 481 

V. — LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  LOVE  OF  MAN.  Chap.  4.  7 — 21 481 


CONTENTS,  XXXI. 

FROM  JOHN.—  I—  Cont. 

VI.  —  A  CHRISTIAN'S  FAITH  AND  CONFIDENCE.     Chap.  5.  i  —  21.         PAGE 

Faith   ........................  482 

The  Three-fold  Testimony  ................  482 

Confidence      ......................  482 

(6).     FROn  JOHN.—  II. 
(f).     FROn  JOHN  —  III. 


C.—  AN  APOCALYPSE. 
THE  REVELATION  OF  JOHN. 

I.  —  MESSAGES  TO  THE  SEVEN  CHURCHES.     Chaps,  i.  4  —  3.  22  .    .  497 

II.  —  THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  SEALS.     Chaps.  4.  i  —  8.  i      .    .    .501 

III.  —  THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  TRUMPET-BLASTS.     Chaps.  8.  2  — 

II.  19     .....................  506 

IV.  —  THE  VISION  OF  SEVEN  SYMBOLICAL  FIGURES.     Chaps.  12.   i  — 

i4.  20    .............    .........  510 

V.  —  THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  CURSES.     Chaps.  i5.  i  —  16.  21  .    .  513 

VI.  —  THE  DOOM  OF  THE  ENEMIES  OF  THE  CHRIST.     Chaps.  i7.  i  — 

20.  15   ......................  515 

VII.  —  THE  NEW  CREATION.     Chaps,  ai.  i  —  22.  5     ........  520 

VIII.  —  CONCLUSION.     Chap.  22.  6  —  21  ..............  522 


THE  HISTORICAL  BOOKS. 


THE  GOOD  NEWS- 
ACCORDING  TO  MARK. 
ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW. 
ACCORDING  TO  LUKE. 
ACCORDING  TO  JOHN. 

THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


ACCORDING  TO  MARK. 


'THE     GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 
ST.     MARK'. 


COMPILED     AT     AN     UNCERTAIN     DATE     LATER 
THAN   ss  A.D. 


THIS  gospel  contains  "  the  earliest  and  the  simplest  picture 
of  the  ministry  of  Jesus,"  but  tells  nothing  of  his  birth  or  early 
life.  It  appears  to  be  the  work  of  the  John  Mark  who  is  men- 
tioned more  than  once  in  the  New  Testament,  and  to  have  been 
compiled  from  information  gathered  from  the  Apostle  Peter 
(whose  convert  Mark  is  supposed  to  have  been),  as  well  as 
from  other  sources,  both  written  and  oral.  Of  these  sources 
it  is  plain  that  the  compilers  of  '  The  Gospels  according  to 
St.  Matthew  and  St.  Luke '  also  availed  themselves,  as  well 
as,  in  all  probability,  of  a  draft  of  this  gospel.  It  is  evident 
from  the  writer's  habit  of  translating  Aramaic  words,  and 
using  Latin  expressions,  that  his  Life  of  Jesus  was  intended  for 
readers  of  the  Western  World  ;  a  view  confirmed  by  many 
interesting  traditions  of  the  Western  Church.  From  the 
absence  of  much  of  the  Teaching  of  Jesus  given  in  '  The 
Gospels  according  to  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Luke,'  it  has  been 
inferred  that  this  was  not  available  in  a  connected  form  for 
the  compiler  of  the  present  gospel. 


ACCORDING    TO    MARK. 


The  beginning  of  the  Good  News  about  Jesus  Christ.  i   1 

I. — THE  PREPARATION. 
It  is  said  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah —  2 

The  Baptist 

and  his        '  Behold  !  I  send  my  Messenger  before  thy  face  ; 
Message.          j_je  shall  prepare  thy  way.' 

'The  voice  of  one  crying- aloud  in  the  Wilderness  :     3 
"  Make  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
Make  his  paths  straight.'" 

And  in  fulfilment  of  this,  John  the  Baptizer  appeared  in  the    4 
Wilderness,  proclaiming  a  baptism  upon  repentance,  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.     The  whole  of  Judaea,  as  well  as  all  the     5 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  went  out  to  him  ;   and  they  were 
baptized  by  him  in  the  river  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins. 
John  was  clad  in  clothing  of  camels'  hair,  with  a  belt  of  leather    6 
round  his  waist,  and  lived  on  locusts  and  wild  honey  ;  and  he     7 
proclaimed — 

"There  is  coming  after  me  one  more  powerful  than  I,  and 
I  am  not  fit  even  to  stoop  down  and  unfasten  his  sandals.     I     8 
have  baptized  you  with  water,  but  he  will  baptize  you  with 
the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  Now  about  that  time  Jesus  came  from  Naza-     9 

Baptism  or  reth  in  Galilee,  and  was  baptized  by  John  in  the 

jesus.       Jordan.     And  just  as  he  was  coming  up  out  of     10 
the  water,  he  saw  the  heavens  rent  apart,  and  the  Spirit,  like 
a  dove,  descending  upon  him,  and  from  the  heavens  came     n 
a  voice — 

"Thou  art  my  Son,  the  Beloved  ;  in  thee  I  delight." 

The  Immediately  afterwards  the  Spirit  drove  Jesus     12 

Temptation   out  into  the  Wilderness  ;  and  he  was  there  in  the     13 

of  Jesus.      Wilderness  forty  days,   tempted  by  Satan,  and 
among  the  wild  beasts,  while  the  angels  ministered  to  him. 

Ps.  2.  2.    2-3  Mai.  3.  i  ;  Isa.  40.  3.    6  2  Kings  i.  8.    1  Ps.  118.  26.    "  Ps.  a.?; 
Isa.  42.  i. 


MARK,  1. 


II.  —  THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE. 

Jesus  begins      After  John  had  been  committed  to  prison,  Jesus     14 
his  work.     went  to  Galilee,  proclaiming  the  Good  News  of 

God— 

"  The  time  has  come,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  ;     15 

repent,  and  believe  the  Good  News." 

The  first         As  Jesus  was  going  along  the  shore  of  the     16 
Disciples.     Sea  of  Galilee,  he  saw  Simon  and  his  brother 

Andrew  casting  a  net  in  the  Sea,  for  they  were  fishermen. 

"Come  and  follow  me,"  Jesus  said,  "and  I  will  set  you  to     17 

fish  for  men." 

They  left  their  nets  at  once,  and  followed  him.  Going     18, 

on  a  little  further,  he  saw  James,  Zebediah's   son,  and   his 

brother  John,  who  also  were  in  their  boat  mending  the  nets. 

Jesus  at  once  called  them,  and  they  left  their  father  Zebediah     20 

in  the  boat  with  the  crew,  and  went  after  him. 


Cure  or  they  walked  into  Capernaum.  On     21 

a  possessed  the  next  Sabbath  Jesus  went  into  the  Synagogue 

Man.        an(j  began  to  teach.     The  people  were  amazed     22 
at  his  teaching,  for  he  taught  them  like  one  who  had  authority, 
and  not  like  the  Teachers  of  the  Law.     Now  there  was  in  their     23 
Synagogue  at   the  time  a  man  under  the  power  of  a  foul 
spirit,  who  called  out  : 

"What  do  you  want  with  us,  Jesus  of  Nazareth?     Have     24 
you  come  to  destroy  us  ?•    I  know  who  you  are  —  the  Holy 
One  of  God  !  " 
But  Jesus  rebuked  the  spirit  :  25 

"  Be  silent  !  come  out  from  him." 

The  foul  spirit  threw  the  man  into  a  fit,  and  with  a  loud  26 
cry  came  out  from  him.  And  they  were  all  so  amazed  that  27 
they  kept  asking  : 

"What  is  this?  Strange  teaching  indeed  !  He  gives  his 
commands  with  authority  even  to  the  foul  spirits,  and  they 
obey  him  !  " 

And  the  fame  of  Jesus  spread  at  once  in  all  directions,  through  28 
the  whole  neighbourhood  of  Galilee. 

Cure  As  soon  as  they  had  come  out  from  the  Syna-     29 

M  0hPr"*nri*w  £°&ue>  tney  wen*»  with  James  and  John,  into 
and  of'many'  the  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew.     Now  Simon's     30 

others.       mother-in-law  was  lying  ill  with  fever,  and  they 
at  once  told  Jesus  about  her.     Jesus  went  up  to  her  and,     31 
grasping  her  hand,  raised  her  up  ;  the  fever  left  her,  and  she 
began  to  wait  upon  them. 

In  the  evening,  after  sunset,  the  people  brought  to  Jesus    32 

W  Pan.  a.  44.    2«  Ps.  16,  19, 


MARK   1—2.  7 

all  who  were  ill  or  possessed  by  demons  ;  and  the  whole  city     33 
was  gathered  round  the  door.     Jesus  cured  many  who  were     34 
ill  with  various  diseases,  and  drove  out  many  demons,  and 
would  not  permit  them  to  speak,  because  they  knew  him  to 
be  the  Christ. 

jesus  retires      In  the  morning,  long  before  daylight,  Jesus     35 
for  prayer,    rose  and  went  out,  and,  going  to  a  lonely  spot, 
there  began  to  pray.     But  Simon  and  his  companions  has-     36 
tened  after  him  ;  and,  when  they  found  him,  they  exclaimed  :     37 

"  Every  one  is  looking  for  you  ! " 
But  Jesus  said  to  them  :  38 

"  Let  us  go  somewhere  else,  into  the  country  towns  near, 
that  I  may  make  my  proclamation  in  them  also  ;  for  that  was 
why  I  came." 

And  he  went  about  making  his  proclamation  in  their  Syna-     39 
gogues  all  through  Galilee,  and  driving  out  the  demons. 

cure  One  day  a  leper  came  to  Jesus  and,  falling  on     40 

of  a.  Leper,    his  knees,  begged  him  for  help. 

"  If  only  you  are  willing,"  he  said,  "  you  are  able  to  make 
me  clean." 

Moved  with  compassion,  Jesus  stretched  out  his  hand  and     41 
touched  him,  saying  as  he  did  so  : 

"  I  am  willing  ;  become  clean." 

Instantly  the  leprosy  left  the  man,  and  he  became  clean  ;  and     42, 
then  Jesus,  after  sternly  warning  him,  immediately  sent  him 
away,  and  said  to  him  :  44 

"  Be  careful  not  to  say  anything  to  any  one  ;  but  go  and 
show  yourself  to  the  Priest,  and  make  the  offerings  for  your 
cleansing  directed  by  Moses,  as  evidence  of  your  cure." 
The  man,  however,  went  away,  and  began  to  speak  about  it    45 
publicly,  and  to  spread  the  story  so  widely,  that  Jesus  could 
no  longer  go  openly  into  a  town,  but  stayed  outside  in  lonely 
places  ;  and  people  came  to  him  from  every  direction. 

Cure  of          Some  days  later,   when  Jesus  came  back  to     i 
a  paralyzed  Capernaum,  the  news  spread  that  he  was  in  a 

Man.         house    there  ;    and    so    many   people    collected     2 
together,  that  after  a  while  there  was  no  room  for  them  even 
round  the  door  ;   and  he  began  to  tell  them  his  Message. 
And  some  people  came  bringing  to  him  a  paralyzed  man,  who     3 
was  being  carried  by  four  bearers.     Being,  however,  unable     4 
to  get  him  near  to  Jesus,  owing  to  the  crowd,  they  removed 
the  roofing  below  which  Jesus  was  ;  and,  when  they  had  made 
an  opening,  they  let  down'  the  mat  on  which  the  paralyzed  man 
was  lying.     When  Jesus  saw  their  faith,  he  said  to  the  man  :      5 

'  Child,  your  sins  are  forgiven." 
»:**_: 

44  Lev.  13.  49. 


8  MARK,  2. 

But  some  of  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  who  were  sitting  there    6 
were  debating  in  their  minds  : 

"  Why  does  this  man  speak  like  this  ?     He  is  blaspheming  !     7 
Who  can  forgive  sins  except  God  ?  " 

Jesus,  at  once  intuitively  aware  that  they  were  debating  with    8 
themselves  in  this  way,  said  to  them  : 

"  Why  are  you  debating  in  your  minds  about  this  ?     Which     9 
is  easier  ? — to  say  to  the  paralyzed  man  '  Your  sins  are  for- 
given '  ?  or  to  say  '  Get  up,  and  take  up  your  mat,  and  walk 
about '  ?     But  that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man  has     10 
power  to  forgive  sins  on  earth  " — here  he  said  to  the  para- 
lyzed man — "To  you  I  say,  Get  up,  take  up  your  mat,  and     n 
return  to  your  home." 

The  man  got  up,  and  immediately  took  up  his  mat,  and  went     12 
out  before  them  all  ;  at  which  they  were  amazed,  and,  as  they 
praised  God,  they  said  : 

"  We  have  never  seen  anything  like  this  !  " 

can  of          Jesus    went    out    again    to     the    Sea ;    and     13 

Levi.         an    the    people    came   to   him,    and    he   taught 
them.  As  he  went  along,  he  saw  Levi,  the  son  of    14 

Alphaeus,  sitting  in  the  tax-office,  and  said  to  him :  ' '  Follow  me. " 
Levi  got  up  and  followed  him. 

And  later  on  he  was  in  his  house  at  table,  and  a  number  of     15 
tax-gatherers  and  outcasts  took  their  places  at  table  with  Jesus 
and  his  disciples ;  for  many  of  them  were  following  him.  When     16 
the  Teachers  of  the  Law  belonging  to  the  party  of  the  Pharisees 
saw  that  he  was  eating  in  the  company  of  such  people,  they 
said  to  his  disciples  : 

"  He  is  eating  in  the  company  of  tax-gatherers  and  out- 
casts ! " 
Hearing  this,  Jesus  said  :  17 

"  It  is  not  those  who  are  in  health  that  need  a  doctor,  but 
those  who  are  ill.  I  did  not  come  to  call  the  religious,  but 
the  outcast." 

Now  John's  disciples  and  the  Pharisees  were     18 
Tb*am«d' for*  keeping  a  fast,  and  people  came  and  asked  Jesus : 
not  observing      "Why    is    it    that  John's   disciples   and    the 

the  Law.      disciples  of  the  Pharisees  fast,  while  yours  do 

.    -,  *)  * 

not  ?  " 

Jesus  answered :  19 

"Can  the  bridegroom's  friends  fast,  while  the  bridegroom 
is  with  them  ?     As  long  as  they  have  the  bridegroom  with 
them,  they  cannot  fast.     But  the  days  will  come,  when  the     20 
bridegroom  will   He   parted   from  them,   and   they   will   fast 
then — when  that  day  comes.     No  man  ever  sews  a  piece  of    21 
unshrunk  cloth  on  an  old  garment ;  if  he  does,  the  patch  tears 
away  from  it — the  new  from  the  old — and  a  worse  rent  is 
w  Dan.  7.  13. 


MARK,  2—3.  9 

made.     And  no  man  ever  puts  new  wine  into  old  wine-skins  ;     22 
if  he  does,  the  wine  will  burst  the  skins,  and  both  the  wine  and 
the  skins  are  lost.     But  new  wine  is  put  into  fresh  skins." 

One  Sabbath,  as  Jesus   was   walking   through  the  corn-     23 
fields,  his  disciples  began  to  pick  the  ears  of  wheat  as  they 
went  along. 

"  Look  !  "  the  Pharisees  said  to  him,  "  why  are  they  doing     24 
what  is  not  allowed  on  the  Sabbath  ?  " 

"  Have  you  never  read,"  answered  Jesus,  "  what  David  did     25 
when  he  was  in  want  and  hungry,  he  and  his  companions — 
how  he  went  into  the  House  of  God,  in  the  time  of  Abiathar    26 
the  High  Priest,  and  ate  'the  consecrated  bread,'  which  only 
the  priests  are  allowed  to  eat,  and  gave  some  to  his  comrades 
as  well  ?  " 
Then  Jesus  added  :  27 

"The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
Sabbath  ;  so  the  Son  of  Man  is  lord  even  of  the  Sabbath."  28 

On  another  occasion  Jesus  went  into  a  Syna-     i 
a.  Ma.™ with    gog116.  where  there  was  a  man  whose  hand  was 

a  withered    withered.     And   they  watched  Jesus  closely,  to     2 

Hand.        see  jf  jje  ,wouid  cure  the  man  on  the  Sabbath,  so 
that  they  might  have  a  charge  to  bring  against  him. 

"Stand  out  in  the  middle,"  Jesus  said  to  the  man  with     3 
the  withered  hand  ;  and  to  the  people  he  said  :  4 

"Is  it  allowable  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath — or  harm?  to 
save  a  life,  or  destroy  it  ?  " 

As  they  remained  silent,  Jesus  looked  round  at  them  in  anger,     5 
grieving  at  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  and  said  to  the  man  : 

"  Stretch  out  your  hand." 

The    man    stretched   it   out ;     and    his    hand    had    become 
sound.  Immediately  on  leaving  the  Synagogue,  the    6 

Pharisees  and  the  Herodians  united  in  laying  a  plot  against 
Jesus,  to  put  him  to  death. 

cures  by          Then  Jesus  went  away  with  his  disciples  to    7 
*"»          the  Sea,  followed  by  a  great  number  of  people 

Lake-side.    from  Gai;iee.     And  a  great  number,  hearing  of 
all   that   he   was   doing,   came    to    him   from   Judaea,    from     8 
Jerusalem,  from  Edom,  from  beyond  the  Jordan,  and  from 
the  country  round  Tyre  and  Sidon.     So  Jesus  told  his  dis-    g 
ciples  to  keep  a  small  boat  close  by,  for  fear  the  crowd  should 
crush  him.     For  he  had  cured  many  of  them,  and  so  people     10 
kept  crowding  upon  him,  that  all  who  were  afflicted  might 
touch  him.     The  foul  spirits,  too,  whenever  they  caught  sight     n 
of  him,  flung  themselves  down  before  him,  and  screamed  out : 

"You  are  the  Son  of  God  "  ! 
But  he  repeatedly  warned  them  not  to  make  him  known.  12 

»  i  Sam.  21.  6.     "  Ps.  2.  7. 

B* 


10  MARK, 

The  twelve       And  Jesus  made  his  way  up  the  hill,  and  called     13 
Apostles,     those  whom  he  wished;  and  they  went  to  him. 
And  he  appointed  twelve — whom  he  also  named  '  Apostles  ' —     14 
that  they  might  be  with  him,  and  that  he  might  send  them 
out  as  his  Messengers,  to  preach,  and  with  power  to  drive     15 
out  demons.     So  he  appointed  the  Twelve — Peter  (which  was     16 
the  name  that  Jesus  gave  to  Simon),  James,  the  son  of  Zebediah,     17 
and  his  brother  John  (to  whom  he  gave  the  name  of  Boanerges, 
which  means  the  Thunderers),  Andrew,  Philip,  Bartholomew,     18 
Matthew,  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  Thaddaeus, 
Simon  the  Zealot,  and  Judas  Iscaridt,  the  man  that  betrayed     19 
him. 

Jesus  went  into  a  house  ;  and  again  a  crowd     20 
and  his       collected,  so  that  they  were  not  able  even  to  eat 
Relations,    their  food.     When  his  relations  heard  of  it,  they     21 
went  to  take  charge  of  him,  for  they  said  that  he  was  out  of 

.his  mind.     And  the  Teachers  of  the  Law,  who     22 

JOHUS  accused  i  r  i  -j 

of  Acting     had  come  down  from  Jerusalem,  said  : 
by  the  Help        "He  has   Baal-zebub  in  him,   and  he  drives 

of  Satan.     ^&  <jemons  out  j,y  the  he\p  of  Baal-zebub,  their 
chief." 
So  Jesus  called  them  to  him,  and  answered  them  in  parables  :     23 

"How  can  Satan  drive  out  Satan?     When  a  kingdom  is     24 
divided  against  itself,  it  cannot  last  ;  and  when  a  household  is     25 
divided  against  itself,  it  will  not  be  able  to  last.     So,  if  Satan     26 
is  in  revolt  against  himself  and  is  divided,  he  cannot  last — 
his  end  has  come  !     No  man  who  has  got  into  a  strong  man's     27 
house  can  carry  off  his  goods,  without  first  securing  him  ;  and 
not  till  then  will  he  plunder  his  house.  I  tell  you  that     28 

men  will  be  forgiven  everything — their  sins,  and  all  the  slanders 
that  they  utter  ;  but  whpever  slanders  the  Holy  Spirit  remains     29 
unforgiven  to  the  end  ;  he  has  to  answer  for  an  enduring  sin." 
This  was  said  in  reply  to  the  charge  that  he  had  a  foul  spirit     30 
in  him. 

The  true          And  hife  mother  and  his  brothers  came,  and     31 
Brotherhood,  stood  outside,  and  sent  to  ask  him  to  come  to 
them.     There  was  a  crowd  sitting  round  Jesus,  and  some  of    32 
them  said  to  him  : 

"  Look,  your  mother  and  your  brothers  are  outside,  asking 
for  you." 

"Who  is  my  mother?  and  my  brothers  ?"  was  his  reply.  33 
Then  he  looked  around  on  the  people  sitting  in  a  circle  round  34 
him,  and  said  : 

"  Here  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers  !  Whoever  does  35 
the  will  of  God  is  my  brother  and  sister  and  mother." 

Parable         Jesus  again  began  to  teach  by  the  Sea  ;   and,     i   ^ 
of  the  sower.  as  an    immense   crowd   was    gathering    round 
him,  he  got  into  a  boat,  and  sat  in  it  on  the  Sea,  while  all 


MARK,  4.  11 

the  people   were  on  the  shore  at  the  water's   edge.     Then     2 
he  taught  them  many  truths  in  parables  ;  and  in  the  course 
of  his  teaching  he  said  to  them  : 

"  Listen  !    The  sower  went  out  to  sow  ;  and  presently,  as  he     3,  4 
was  sowing,  some  of  the  seed  fell  along  the  path  ;  and  the 
birds  came,  and  ate  it  up.     Some  fell  on  rocky  ground,  where     5 
it  had  not  much  soil,  and,  having  no  depth  of  soil,  sprang  up 
at  once  ;  but,  when  the  sun  rose,  it  was  scorched,  and,  having  no     6 
root,  withered  away.     Some  of  the  seed  fell  among  brambles  ;     7 
but  the  brambles  shot  up  and  completely  choked  it,  and  it 
yielded  no  return.     Some  fell  into  good  soil,  and,  shooting  up     8 
and  growing,  yielded  a  return,  amounting  to  thirty,  sixty,  and 
even  a  hundred  fold." 
And  Jesus  said  :  9 

"  Let  any  one  who  has  ears  to  hear  with  hear." 

Afterwards,    when   he   was   alone,    his   followers   and    the     10 
Twelve  asked  him  about  his  parables  ;  and  he  said  :  1 1 

"To  you  the  hidden  truth  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  been 
imparted ;  but  to  those  who  are  outside  it  all  teaching  takes 
the  form  of  parables,  that — ' 

'  Though  they  have  eyes,  they  may  see  without  perceiving  ;  12 

And  though  they  have  ears,  they  may  hear  without  understanding; 
Lest  some  day  they  should  turn  and  be  forgiven.' 

You  do  not  know  the  meaning   of  this   parable  ! "   he  went     13 
on;    "then    how  will    you    understand    all  the    other   para- 
bles? The  sower  sows  the  Message.   The  people  meant     14,  i 
by  the  seed  that  falls  along  the  path  are  these — where  the  Message 
is  sown,  but,  as  soon  as  they  have  heard  it,  Satan  immediately 
comes  and  carries  away  the  Message  that  has  been  sown  in 
them.     So,  too,  those  meant  by  the  seed  sown  on  the  rocky     16 
places  are  the  people  who,  when  they  have  heard  the  Mes- 
sage, at  once  accept  it  joyfully  ;  but,  as  they  have  no  root,  they     17 
stand  only  for  a  short  time  ;  and  so,  when  trouble  or  persecu- 
tion arises  on  account  of  the  Message,  they  fall  away  at  once. 
Those  meant  by  the   seed   sown   among   the   brambles  are     18 
different  ;    they  are  the  people  who  hear  the  Message,  but     19 
the  cares  of  life,  and  the  glamour  of  wealth,  and  cravings 
for  many  other  things  come    in   and   completely  choke   the 
Message,  so  that  it  gives  no  return.     But  the  people  meant     20 
by  the  seed  sown   on  the  good  ground  are  those  who  hear 
the    Message,  and  welcome    it,  and    yield    a  return,  thirty, 
sixty,  and  even  a  hundred  fold. " 
Lesson  from  And  Jesus  said  to  them  :  21 

a.  Lamp.          "  Is  a  lamp  brought  to  be  put  under  the  corn- 
measure  or  under  the  couch,  instead  of  being  put  on  the  lamp- 
stand?     Nothing  is  hidden  unless  it  is  some  day  to  comevto     22 
light,  nor  was  anything  ever  kept  hidden  but  that  it  should 

12  Isa.  6.  10. 


12  MARK,  4-5. 

some  day  come  into  the  light  of  day.  Let  all  who  have     23 

ears  to  hear  with  hear.     Take  care  what  you  listen  to,"  said     24 
Jesus.     "The  measure  you  mete  will  be  meted  out  to  you,  and 
more  will  be  added  for  you.    For,  to  those  who  have,  more  will     25 
be  given  ;  while,  from  those  who  have  nothing,  even  what  they 
have  will  be  taken  away." 

Jesus  also  said  :  26 

Parable  o-f  the  J      .      .  .         __.          ,  -.   „      .    .       ... 

seed  growing         This  is  what  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  like — 
unobserved,  like  a  man  who  has  scattered  seed  on  the  ground, 
and  then  sleeps  by  night  and  rises  by  day,  while  the  seed  is     27 
shooting  up  and  growing — he  knows  not  how.     The  ground     28 
bears  the  crop  of  itself — first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  and  then 
the  full  grain  in  the  ear  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  crop  is  ready,     29 
immediately  he  '  puts  in  the  sickle  because  harvest  has  come.'  " 
Parable          Jesus  also  said  :  30 

oVthe0  "  To  what  can  we  liken  the  Kingdom  of  God  ?     31 

Mustard  seed. or  by  what  can  we  illustrate  it?  Perhaps  by 
the  growth  of  a  mustard-seed.  This  seed,  when  sown  in  the 
ground,  though  it  is  smaller  than  all  other  seeds,  yet,  when  32 
sown,  shoots  up,  and  becomes  larger  than  any  other  herb,  and 
puts  out  great  branches,  so  that  even  '  the  wild  birds  can  roost 
in  its  shelter.'" 

With  many  such  parables  Jesus  used  to  speak  to  the  people     33 
of  his  Message,  as  far  as  they  were  able  to  receive  it ;  and  to     34 
them   he   never   used   to   speak   except   in   parables  ;  but  in 
private  to  his  own  disciples  he  explained  everything. 

j««us  stniM       In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Jesus  said  to    35 

a  storm,     them  : 

' '  Let  us  go  across. " 

So,  leaving  the  crowd  behind,  they  took  him  with  them,  just     36 
as  he  was,  in  the  boat ;  and  there  were  other  boats  with  him. 
A  violent  squall  came  on,  and  the  waves  kept  dashing  into  the     37 
boat,  so  that  the  boat  was  actually  filling.     Jesus  was  in  the     38 
stern  asleep  upon  the  cushion ;  and  the  disciples  roused  him 
and  cried  : 

"  Teacher  !  is  it  nothing  to  you  that  we  are  lost  ?  " 
Jesus  rose   and   rebuked   the  wind,    and    said    to    the  sea  :     39 
"Hush!  Be  still  !" 
Then  the  wind  dropped,  and  a  great  calm  followed. 

"Why  are  you  so  timid?"  he  exclaimed.       "Have  you    40 
no  faith  yet  ?  " 
But  they  were  struck  with  great  awe,  and  said  to  one  another:     41 

"  Who  can  this  be  that  even  the  wind  and  the  sea  obey  - 
him  ?  " 

cur*  or  a        And  they  came  to  the  other  side  of  the  Sea —     i 

Madman,     the  country  of  the  Gerasenes ;  and,  as  soon  as     2 
Jesus  had  got  out  of  the  boat,  he  met  a  man  coming  out  of 

39  Joel  3.  13.    88  Dan.  4.  ia. 


MARK,  5.  13 

the  tombs,  who  was  under  the  power  of  a  foul  spirit,  and     3 
who  made  his  home  in  the  tombs.    No  one  had  ever  been  able  to 
secure  him,  even  with  a  chain  ;  for,  though  he  had  many  times     4 
been  left  secured  with  fetters  and  chains,  he  had  snapped  the 
chains  and  broken  the  fetters  to  pieces,  and  no  one  could  master 
him.     Night  and  day  alike,  he  was  continually  shrieking  in     5 
the  tombs  and  among  the  hills,  and  cutting  himself  with  stones. 
Catching  sight  of  Jesus  from  a  distance,  he  ran  and  bowed  to     6 
the  ground  before  him,  shrieking  out  in  a  loud  voice  :  7 

"What  do  you  want  with  me,  Jesus,  Son  of  the  Most  High 
God  ?  For  God's  sake  do  not  torment  me  ! " 
For  Jesus  had  said  :  8 

"  Come  out  from  the  man,  you  foul  spirit."  9 

And  he  asked  him :  "  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"My  name,"  he  said,  "is  Legion,  for  there  are  many  of 
us  ;  "  and  he  begged  Jesus  again  and  again  not  to  send  them     10 
away  out  of  that  country.  There  was  a  large  drove  of    1 1 

Jigs  close  by,  feeding  on  the  hill-side.     And  the  spirits  begged     12 
esus  : 

"  Send  us  into  the  pigs,  that  we  may  take  possession  of 
them." 

Jesus  gave  them  leave.     They  came  out,  and  entered  into     13 
the  pigs  ;  and  the  drove — about  two  thousand  in  number — 
rushed  down  the  steep  slope  into  the  Sea  and  were  drowned  in 
the  Sea.  On  this  the  men  who  tended  them  ran  away,     14 

and  carried  the  news  to  the  town,  and  to  the  country  round  ; 
and  the  people  went  to  see  what  had  happened.      When  they     15 
came  to  Jesus,  they  found  the  possessed  man  sitting  there, 
clothed  and  in  his  right  mind — the  very  man  who  had  had  the 
'  Legion '  in  him-^and  they  were  awe-struck.    Then  those  who     16 
had   seen   it  related  to  them  all   that  had   happened   to   the 
possessed  man,  as  well  as  about  the  pigs ;  upon  which  they     17 
began  to  beg  Jesus  to  leave  their  neighbourhood.  As     18 

Jesus  was  getting  into  the  boat,  the  possessed  man  begged  him 
to  let  him  stay  with  him.     But  Jesus  refused.  19 

"Go  back  to  your  home,  to  your  own  people,"  he  said,  " and 
tell  them  of  all  that  the  Lord  has  done  for  you,  and  how  he 
took  pity  on  you. " 

So  the  man  went,  and  began  to  proclaim  in  the  district  of    20 
the  Ten  Towns  all  that  Jesus  had  done  for  him ;  and  every  one 
was  amazed. 

By  the  time  Jesus  had  re-crossed  in  the  boat  to    21 
ofRthe'ne  the  opposite  shore,  a  great  number  of  people  had 
Daughter  of  gathered  to  meet  him,  and  were  standing  by  the 

jaeirus.      gea  ^nd  one  of  tne   Presidents  of  the    22 

Synagogue,  whose  name  was  Jaeirus,  came  and,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  Jesus,  threw  himself  at  his  feet  with  repeated  entreaties.     23 
"  My  little  daughter,"  he  said,  "  is  at  the  point  of  death  ;  I 


14  MARK,  6. 

beg  you  to  come  and  place  your  hands  on  her,  that  her  life 

may  be  spared. " 

So  Jesus  went  with  him.  A  great  number  of  people     24 

Cure  of      followed  Jesus,  and  kept  pressing  round  him. 
an  afflicted   Meanwhile  a  woman  who  for  twelve  years  had     25 
woman.      suffered    from     haemorrhage,     and     undergone     26 
much  at  the  hands  of  many  doctors,  (spending  all  she  had 
without  obtaining  any  relief,  but,  on  the  contrary,  growing     27 
worse),  heard  about  Jesus,  came  behind   in  the  crowd,  and 
touched  his  cloak. 

"If  I  can  only  touch  his  clothes,"  she  said,   "I  shall  get     28 
well ! " 

At  once  the  mischief  was  stopped,  and  she  felt  in  herself  that     29 
she   was   cured   of  her   complaint.      Jesus   at  once    became     30 
aware  of  the  power  that  had  gone  out  from  him,  and,  turning 
round  in  the  crowd,  he  said  : 

"  Who  touched  my  clothes  ?  " 

"You  see  the  people  pressing  round  you,"  exclaimed  his     31 
disciples,  "  and  yet  you  say  '  Who  touched  me  ?  '  " 
But  Jesus  looked  about  to  see  who  had  done  it.     Then  the     32, 
woman,  in  fear  and  trembling,  knowing  what  had  happened 
to  her,  came  and  threw  herself  down  before  him,  and  told  him 
the  whole  truth. 

"  Daughter,"  he  said,  "your  faith  has  delivered  you.     Go,     34 
.and  peace  be  with  you  ;  be  free  from  your  complaint." 

Before   he  had    finished  speaking,   some  people  from  the     35 
house  of  the  President  of  the  Synagogue  came  and  said  : 

"Your  daughter  is  dead!     Why  should  you  trouble   the 
Teacher  further  ?  " 

But  Jesus,  overhearing  what  they  were  saying,  said  to  the     36 
President  of  the  Synagogue  : 

"  Do  not  be  afraid  ;  only  have  faith." 

And  he   allowed    no   one   to   accompany  him,  except  Peter,     37 
James,    and   John,    the   brother  of  James.       Presently   they     38 
reached  the   President's  house,  where  Jesus  saw  a  scene  of 
confusion — people  weeping  and  wailing  incessantly. 

"Why  this  confusion  and  weeping?"  he  said  on  entering.     39 
"The  little  child  is  not  dead  ;  she  is  asleep." 

They  began  to  laugh  at  him  ;  but  he  sent  them  all  out,  and     40 
then,  with  the  child's  father  and  mother  and  his  companions, 
went  into  the  room  where  she  was  lying.     Taking  her  hand,     41 
Jesus  said  to  her  : 

"  Taleitha,  koum  !  " — which  means  '  Little  girl,  I  am  speak- 
ing to  you — Rise  ! ' 

The  little  girl  stood  up  at  once,  and  began  to  walk  about  ;     42 
tor  ^lif  was  twelve  years  old.     And,  as  soon  as  they  saw  it,  they 
were  overwhelmed^  with  amazement ;    but  Jesus   repeatedly     43 
i  autioned  them  not  to  let  any  one  know  of  it,  and  told  them  to 
give  her  something  to  eat. 


,  6.  15 

that   place,   Jesus,    followed   by     i 
teaches  at    his    disciples,    went    to    his    own    part  of  the 
Nazareth,     country.  When  the  Sabbath  came,   he     2 

began  to  teach  in  the  Synagogue  ;    and  the  people,  as  they 
listened,  were  deeply  impressed. 

"Where  did  he  get  this?"  they  said,  "and  what  is  this 
wisdom  that  has  been  given  him  ?  and  these  miracles  which 
he  is  doing  ?     Is  not  he  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary,  and     3 
the  brother  of  James,  and  Joses,  and  Judas,  and  Simon  ?     And 
are  not  his  sisters,  too,  living  here  among  us  ?  " 
This  proved  a  hindrance  to  their  believing  in  him  ;  on  which     4 
Jesus  said  : 

"A  Prophet  is  not  without  honour,  except  in  his  own  country, 
and  among  his  own  relations,  and  in  his  own  home." 
And  he  could  not  work  any  miracle  there,   beyond  placing     5 
his   hands   upon   a   few  infirm   persons,    and   curing   them ; 
and  he  wondered  at  the  want  of  faith  shown  by  the  people.          6 

The  Mission       Jesus  went  round  the  villages,  one  after  another, 
of  the  twelve  teaching.  He  called  the  Twelve  to  him,     7 

Apostles.     ant]  began  to  send  them  out  as  his  Messengers, 
two  and  two,  and  gave  them  authority  over  foul  spirits.     He     8 
instructed  them  to  take  nothing  but  a  staff  for  the  journey 
— not  even  bread,  or  a  bag,  or  pence  in  their  purse  ;  but  they     9 
were  to  wear  sandals,  and  not  to  put  on  a  second  coat. 

"Whenever  you  go  to  stay  at  a  house,"  he  said,  "remain     10 
there  till  you  leave  that  place ;  and  if  a  place  does  not  wel-     1 1 
come  you,  or  listen  to  you,  as  you  go  out  of  it  shake  off  the 
dust  that  is  on  the  soles  of  your  feet,  as  a  protest  against  them." 
So   they  set   out,  and   proclaimed   the   need   of  repentance.     12 
They  drove  out  many  demons,  and  anointed  with  oil  many     13 
who  were  infirm,  and  cured  them. 

The  Death  ot     Now  King  Herod  heard  of  Jesus  ;  for  his  name     14 
the  Baptist,  had  become  well  known.     People  were  saying — 
"John    the   Baptizer   must   have   risen   from  the  dead,  and 
that  is  why  these   miraculous  powers   are  active   in   him." 
Others  again  said — "He  is  Elijah,"  and  others — "He  is  a     15 
Propliet,  like  one  of  the  great  Prophets. "     But  when  Herod     16 
heard  of  him,  he  said — "The  man  whom  I  beheaded— John- 
he  must  be  risen  !  " 

For  Herod  himself  had  sent  and  arrested  John,  and  put  him     17 
in  prison,  in  chains,  to  please  Herodias,  the  wife  of  his  brother 
Philip,  because  Herod  had  married  her.     For  John  had  said     18 
to  Herod — 'You  have  no  right  to  be  living  with  your  brother's 
wife.'     So  Herodias  was  incensed  against  John,  and  wanted     19 
to  put  him  to  death,  but  was  unable  to  do  so,  because  Herod     20 
stood  in  fear  of  John,  knowing  him  to  be  an  upright  and  holy 
man,  and  protected  him.     He  had  listened  to  John,  but  still 


16  MARK,  6. 

remained  much  perplexed,  and  yet  he  found  pleasure  in  listen- 
ing to  him.  A  suitable  opportunity,  however,  occurred     21 
when  Herod,  on  his  birthday,  gave  a  dinner  to  his  high  offi- 
cials, and  his  generals,  and  the  foremost  men  in  Galilee.    And     22 
when  his  daughter— that  is,  the  daughter  of  Herodias — came 
in  and  danced,  she  delighted  Herod  and  those  who  were  dining 
with  him.     '  Ask  me  for  whatever  you  like,'  the  King  said  to 
the  girl,  '  and  I  will  give  it  to  you  ' ;  and  he  swore  to  her  that    23 
he  would  give  her  whatever  she  asked  him — up  to  half  his 
kingdom.     The  girl  went  out,  and  said  to  her  mother  '  What 
must  I  ask  for  ?  '     '  The  head  of  John  the  Baptizer,'  answered 
her  mother.     So  she  went  in  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  King,     25 
and  made  her  request.     'I  want  you,'  she  said,  'to  give  me 
at  once,  on  a  dish,  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist. '    The  King  was     26 
much  distressed  ;  yet,  on  account  of  his  oath  and  of  the  guests 
at  his  table,  he  did  not  like  to  refuse  her.      He  immediately     27 
despatched  one  of  his  bodyguard,  with  orders  to  bring  John's 
head.     The  man  went  and  beheaded  John  in  the  prison,  and,     28 
bringing  his  head  on  a  dish,  gave  it  to  the  girl,  and  the  girl 
gave  it  to  her  mother.     When  John's  disciples  heard  of  it,     29 
they  came  and  took  his  body  away,  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb. 


The  When  the  Apostles  came  back  to  Jesus,  they    30 

Return  of  the  told  him  all  that  they  had  done  and  all  that  they 

Apostles.      had  taught. 

"  Come  by  yourselves  privately  to  some  lonely  spot,"  he  said,     31 
"  and  rest  for  a  while  " — for  there  were  so  many  people  coining 
and   going  that  they  had  not   time  even  to  eat.      So  they     32 
set  off  privately  in  their  boat  for  a  lonely  spot.     And  many     33 
people  saw  them  going,  and  recognised  them,  and  from  all  the 
towns  they  flocked  together  to  the  place  on  foot,  and  got  there 
before  them.  On  getting  out  of  the  boat,  Jesus  saw  a    34 

great  crowd,  and  his  heart  was  moved  at  the  sight  of  them,  be- 
cause they  were  '  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd  ' ;  and  he  began 

to  teach  them  many  things.  When  it  grew     35 

Josus  •feeds    ,  ......        J  ,       t  •  j         •  i 

flve  thousand  Iate>  '1IS  disciples  came  up  to  him,  and  said  : 
by  the  Lake       "This  is  a  lonely  spot,  and  it  is  already  late. 

of  Gniiioe.    §enj  t]ie  peOpie  away,  so  that  they  may  go  to     36 
the  farms  and  villages  around  and  buy  themselves  something 
to  eat." 

But  Jesus  answered  :  "  It  is  for  you  to  give  them  something    37 
to  eat." 

"Are  we  to  go  and  buy  twenty  pounds'  worth  of  bread,' 
they  asked,  "  to  give  them  to  eat  ?  " 

"  How  many  loaves  have  you?"  he  asked  ;   "go,  and  see."    38 
When  they  had  found  out,  they  told  him  :   "  Five,  and  two 
tisliL-s."    Jesus  directed  them  to  make  all  the  people  take  their     39 
84  Num.  27.  17. 


MARK,  6—7.  17 

seats   on    the   green  grass,  in  parties ;   and  they  sat  down     40 
in   groups — in   hundreds,    and   in    fifties.      Taking    the    five     41 
loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  Jesus  looked  up  to  Heaven,  and 
said  the  blessing  ;  he  broke  the  loaves  into  pieces,  and  gave 
them  to  his  disciples  for  them  to  serve  out  to  the  people,  and 
he  divided  the  two  fishes  also  among  them  all.     Every  one     42 
had  sufficient  to  eat ;    and  they  picked  up  enough  broken     43 
pieces  to  fill  twelve  baskets,  as  well  as  some  of  the  fish.     The     44 
men  who  ate  the  bread  were  five  thousand  in  number. 

Immediately  afterwards  Jesus  made  his  dis-    45 

walks  on  the  ciples  get  into  the  boat,  and  cross  over  in  advance, 
water.       jn  tne  direction  of  Bethsaida,  while  he  himself  was 
dismissing  the  crowd.     After  he  had  taken  leave  of  the  people,     46 
he  went  away  up  the  hill  to  pray.     When  evening  fell,  the     47 
boat  was  out  in  the  middle  of  the  Sea,  and  Jesus  on  the  shore 
alone.     Seeing  them  labouring  at  the  oars — for  the  wind  was     48 
against  them — about  three  hours  after  midnight  Jesus  came 
towards  them,  walking  on  the  water,  intending  to  join  them. 
But,  when  they  saw  him  walking  on  the  water,  they  thought    49 
it  was  a  ghost,  and  cried  out ;  for  all  of  them  saw  him,  and     50 
were  terrified.     But  Jesus  at  once  spoke  to  them. 

"  Courage  !  "  he  said,  "  it  is  I  ;  do  not  be  afraid  !  " 
Then  he  got  into  the  boat  with  them,  and  the  wind  dropped.     51 
The  disciples  were  utterly  amazed,  for  they  had  not  under-     52 
stood  about  the  loaves,  their  minds  being  slow  to  learn. 

Jesus  at          When  they  had  crossed  over,  they  landed  at     53 

Gennesaret.  Gennesaret,  and  moored  the  boat.     But  they  had     54 
no  sooner  left  her  than  the  people,  recognizing  Jesus,  hurried     55 
over  the  whole  country-side,  and  began  to  carry  about  upon 
mats  those  who  were  ill,  wherever  they  heard  he  was.     So     56 
wherever  he  went — to  villages,  or  towns,  or  farms — they  would 
lay  their  sick  in  the  market-places,  begging  him  to  let  them 
touch   only  the   tassel   of  his   cloak;    and   all   who   touched 
were  made  well. 

One  day  the  Pharisees  and  some  of  the  Teachers     1 
Tht»i°lmedle8  of  the  Law  who  had  come  from  Jerusalem  gathered 
for  neglecting  round  Jesus.     They  had  noticed  that  some  of  his     2 

ceremonies,  disciples  ate  their  food  with  their  hands  'defiled,' 
by  which  they  meant  unwashed.      (For  the  Pharisees,  and     3 
indeed  all  strict  Jews,  will  not  eat  without  first  scrupulously 
washing  their  hands,  holding  in  this  to  the  traditions  of  their 
ancestors.     When  they  come  from  market,  they  will  not  eat     4 
without  first  sprinkling  themselves  ;  and  there  are  many  other 
customs  which  they  have  inherited  and  hold  to,  such  as  the 
ceremonial  washing  of  cups,  and  jugs,  and  copper  pans).     So     5 
the  Pharisees  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  asked  Jesus  this 
question — 

««  Num.  15.  38. 


18  MARK,  7. 

"  How  is  it  that  your  disciples  do  not  follow  the  traditions 
of  our  ancestors,  but  eat  their  food  with  defiled  hands  ?  " 
His  answer  was  : 

"  It  was  well  said  by  Isaiah  when  he  prophesied  about  you 
hypocrites  in  the  words — 

'  This  is  a  people  that  honour  me  with  their  lips, 
While  their  hearts  are  far  removed  from  me  ; 
But  vainly  do  they  worship  me, 

For  they  teach  but  the  precepts  of  men.' 

You  neglect  God's  commandments  and  hold  to  the  traditions 
of  men.  Wisely  do  you  set  aside  God's  commandments,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "to  keep  your  own  traditions !  For  while  Moses  said 

'  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother,' 
and 

*  Let  him  who  reviles  his  father  or  mother  suffer  death,' 
you  say  '  If  a  man  says  to  his  father  or  mother  "  Whatever  of 
mine  might  have  been  of  service  to  you  is  Korban  " '  (which 
means  'Given  to  God') — why,  then  you  do  not  allow  him  to  do 
anything  further  for  his  father  or  mother!     In  this  way  you 
nullify  the  words  of  God  by  your  traditions,  which  you  hand 
down  ;  and  you  do  many  similar  things." 
Then  Jesus  called  the  people  to  him  again,  and  said  : 

"Listen  to  me,  all  of  you,  and  mark  my  words.  There  is 
nothing  external  to  a  man,  which  by  going  into  him  can 
'  defile '  him  ;  but  the  things  that  come  out  from  a  man  are  the 
things  that  defile  him." 

When  Jesus  went  indoors,  away  from  the  crowd,  his  disciples 
began  questioning  him  about  this  saying. 

"  What,  do  even  you  understand  so  little?"  exclaimed  Jesus. 
"  Do  not  you  see  that  there  is  nothing  external  to  a  man,  which 
by  going  into  a  man,  can  '  defile '  him,  because  it  does  not  pass 
into  his  heart,  but  into  his  stomach,  and  is  afterwards  got  rid 
of?" — in  saying  this  Jesus  pronounced  all  food  'clean.' 

"  It  is  what  comes  out  from  a  man,"  he  added,  "that  defiles 
him,  for  it  is  from  within,  out  of  the  hearts  of  men,  that 
there  come  evil  thoughts — unchastity,  theft,  murder,  adultery, 
greed,  wickedness,  deceit,  lewdness,  envy,  slander,  haughti- 
ness, folly  ;  all  these  wicked  things  come  from  within,  and  do 
defile  a  man." 

cure  or  *         ®n  living  tnat  place,  Jesus  went  to  the  dis- 

syrinn  Giri    trict  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  And  he  went  into 

near  Tyre.    a  house,  and  did  not  wish  anyone  to  know  it,  but 

could  not  escape  notice.     For  a  woman,  whose  little  daughter 

had  a  foul   spirit    in    her,    heard    of    him    immediately,   and 

came  and  threw  herself  at  his  feet — the  woman  was  a  foreigner, 

a  native  of  Syrian  Phoenicia — and  she  begged  him  to  drive  the 

demon  out  of  her  daughter. 

«-'  Isa.  39.  13.    10  Exod.  ao.  ia  ;  ai.  17. 


MARK,  7-8.  19 

"Let    the   children    be    satisfied    first,"    answered   Jesus.     27 
"  For  it  is  not  fair  to  take  the  children's  food,  and  throw  it  to 
dogs." 

"  Yes,  Master,"  she  replied  ;  "even  the  dogs  under  the  table    28 
do  feed  on  the  children's  crumbs." 

"For  saying-  that,"  he  answered,   "you  may  go.      The     29 
demon  has  gone  out  of  your  daughter." 

The  woman  went  home,  and  found  the  child  lying  on  her  bed,     30 
and  the  demon  gone. 

Cupe  On  returning  from  the  district  of  Tyre,  Jesus     31 

or  a  dear     went,  by  way  of  Sidon,  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  across 

Mute.        the    district   of   the   Ten   Towns.  Some     32 

people   brought   to   him   a   man   who   was  deaf  and  almost 
dumb,   and   they  begged  Jesus   to  place  his  hand  on  him. 
Jesus  took  him  aside  from  the  crowd  quietly,  put  his  fingers     33 
into   the   man's   ears,  and   touched   his  tongue  with  saliva. 
Then,  looking  up  to  Heaven,  he  sighed,  and  said  to  the  man:     34 

"  Ephphatha  !  "  which  means  '  Be  opened.' 

The  man's  ears  were  opened,  the  string  of  his  tongue  was     35 
freed,  and  he  began  to  talk  plainly.     Jesus  insisted  upon  their     36 
not  telling  any  one  ;  but  the  more  he  insisted,  the  more  per- 
severingly  they  made  it  known,  and  a  profound  impression     37 
was  made  upon  the  people. 

"He  has  done  everything  well!"  they  exclaimed.     "He 
makes  even  the  deaf  hear  and  the  dumb  speak  !  " 

About  that  time,  when  there  was  again  a  great     i 
Jesus  feeds     crowd  of  people  who  had  nothing  to  eat,  Jesus 

•Tour  thousand.        ,.     ,  .  .    r       r.  .  t>  »  •> 

called  his  disciples  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  My  heart  is  moved  at  the  sight  of  all  these  people,  for  they     2 
have  already  been  with  me  three  days  and  they  have  nothing 
to  eat ;  and  if  I  send  them  away  to  their  homes  hungry,  they     3 
will  break  down  on  the  way  ;  and  some  of  them  have  come  a 
long  distance." 

"  Where  will  it  be  possible,"  his  disciples  answered,  "to  get    4 
sufficient  bread  for  these  people  in  this  lonely  place  ?  " 

"  How  many  loaves  have  you  ?  "  he  asked.  5 

"Seven,"  they  answered. 

Jesus  told  the  crowd  to  sit  down  upon  the  ground.     Then  he    6 
took  the  seven  loaves,   and,  after  saying  the  thanksgiving, 
broke  them,  and  gave  them  to  his  disciples  to  serve  out ;  and 
they  served  them  out  to  the  crowd.      They  had  also  a  few    7 
small  fish  ;  and,  after  he  had  said  the  blessing,  he  told  the 
disciples  to  serve  out  these  as  well.    The  people  had  sufficient     8 
to  eat,  and  they  picked  up  seven  baskets  full  of  the  broken 
pieces  that  were  left.    There  were  about  four  thousand  people.     9 
Then  Jesus  dismissed  them.  Immediately  afterwards,     10 

getting  into  the  boat  with  his  disciples,  Jesus  went  to  the 
district  of  Dalmanutha. 


20  MARK,  8. 

warning          Here  the  Pharisees  came  out,  and  began  to 
against  the  argue  with  Tesus,  asking:  him  for  some  sigfn  from 

Teaching        ,11  .  *.  !_•  o-     1   •  j  IT 

of  the       tne  heavens,  to  test  him.     Sighing  deeply,  Jesus 

Pharisees,      said  : 

"  Why  does  this  generation  ask  for  a  sign  ?  I  tell  you,  no 
sign  shall  be  given  it." 

So  he  left  them  to  themselves,  and,  getting  into  the  boat  again, 
went  away  to  the  opposite  shore. 

Now  the  disciples  had  forgotten  to  take  any  bread  with  them, 
one  loaf  being  all  that  they  had  in  the  boat.  So  Jesus  gave 
them  this  warning. 

"Take  care,"  he  said,  "beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Phari- 
sees and  the  leaven  of  Herod." 

They  began  talking  to  one  another  about  their  being  short  of 
bread.  And,  noticing  this,  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

"Why  are  you  talking  about  your  being  short  of  bread? 
Do  not  you  yet  see  or  understand  ?  Are  your  minds  still  so  slow 
of  comprehension  ?  '  Though  you  have  eyes,  do  you  not  see  ? 
and  though  you  have  ears,  do  you  not  hear  ? '  Do  not  you 
remember,  when  I  broke  up  the  five  loaves  for  the  five  thou- 
sand, how  many  baskets  of  broken  pieces  you  picked  up  ?  " 

"Twelve,"  they  said. 

"  And  when  the  seven  for  the  four  thousand,  how  many 
basketfuls  of  broken  pieces  did  you  pick  up  ?  " 

"  Seven,"  they  said. 

"  Do  not  you  understand  now  ?  "  he  repeated. 

They  came  to  Bethsaida.  There  some 

of  aUfoMnd  people  brought  a  blind  man  to  Jesus,  and  begged 
Man  him  to  touch  him.  Taking  the  blind  man's 
at  Bethsaida.  hanci(  Jesus  led  him  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
village,  and,  when  he  had  put  saliva  on  the  man's  eyes,  he 
placed  his  hands  on  him,-  and  asked  him  :  "  Do  you  see  any- 
thing ?  "  The  man  looked  up,  and  said  : 

"  I  see  the  people,  for,  as  they  walk  about,  they  look  to  me 
like  trees." 

Then  Jesus  again  placed  his  hands  on  the  man's  eyes ;  and 
the  man  saw  clearly,  his  sight  was  restored,  and  he  saw  every- 
thing with  perfect  distinctness.  Jesus  sent  him  to  his  home, 
and  said  :  "  Do  not  go  even  into  the  village." 

Afterwards  Jesus  and  his  disciples  went  into  the 
n    villages   round   Caesarea  Philippi ;    and  on  the 
of          way  he  asked  his  disciples  this  question — 
The  Christ.       ,« Who  do  pe0pie  say  that  i  am  ?  » 

"John  the  Baptist,"  they  answered,  "  but  others  say  Elijah, 
while  others  say  one  of  the  Prophets." 

"  But  you,    he  asked,  "  who  do  you  say  that  I  am  ?  " 

W  Jcr.  $.  ai. 


MARK,  8—9.  21 

To  this  Peter  replied  : 

"You  are  the  Christ." 

On  which  J  esus  charged  them  not  to  say  this  about  him  to  any  one.     30 
Jesus  Then  he  began  to  teach  them  that  the  Son  of    31 

foroteiis  his  Man  must  undergo  much  suffering,  and  that  he 
t>«ath.       must  be  rejected  by  the  Councillors,  and  the  Chief 
Priests,  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law,  and  be  put  to   death, 
and  rise  again  after  three  days.      This  statement  he  made     32 
openly.    But  Peter  took  Jesus  aside,  and  began  to  rebuke  him. 
Jesus,    however,    turning    round    and    seeing    his    disciples,     33 
rebuked  Peter. 

"Out  of  my  sight,  Satan !  "  he  exclaimed.     "  For  you  look 
at  things,  not  as  God  does,  but  as  man  does." 

A  can  Calling  the  people  and  his  disciples  to  him,     34 

to  renounce   JeSUS  Said  : 

Self.  « if  any  man  wishes  to  walk  in  my  steps,  let 

him  renounce   self,  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.     For    35 
whoever  wishes  to  save  his  life  will  lose  it,  and  whoever,  for 
my  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  Good  News,  will  lose  his  life 
shall  save  it.     What  good  is  it  to  a  man  to  gain  the  whole     36 
world  and  forfeit  his  life  ?     For  what  could  a  man  give  that  is     37 
of  equal  value  with  his  life  ?  Whoever  is  ashamed  of  me  and  of    38 
my  teaching,  in  this  unfaithful  and  wicked  generation,  of  him 
will   the   Son  of  Man  be  ashamed,  when  he  comes  in  his 
Father's  Glory  with  the  holy  angels.     I  tell  you,"  he  added,     i 
' '  that  some  of  those  who  are  standing  here  will  not  know  death, 
till  they  have  seen  the  Kingdom  of  God  come  in  power." 

The  Six  days   later,  Jesus   took  with   him   Peter,     2 

Tran««eura-  James,  and  John,  and  led  them  up  a  high  moun- 
tion.         tarn  alone  by  themselves.     There  his  appearance 
was  transformed  before  their  eyes,  and  his  clothes  became     3 
of  a  more  dazzling  white  than  any  bleacher  in  the  world  could 
make   them.      And  Elijah   appeared   to   them,    in   company    4 
with  Moses  ;  and  they  were  talking  with  Jesus. 

"Rabbi,"  said  Peter,  interposing,  "it  is  good  to  be  here;     5 
let  us  make  three  tents,  one  for  you,  one  for  Moses,  and  one 
for  Elijah. "     For  he  did  not  know  what  to  say,  because  they     6 
were  much  afraid.      Then  a  cloud  came  down  and  enveloped     7 
them  ;  and  from  the  cloud  there  came  a  voice — 

"This  is  my  Son,  the  Beloved  ;  him  you  must  hear." 
And  suddenly,  on  looking  round,  they  saw  that  there  was  now    8 
no  one  with  them  but  Jesus  alone.  As  they  were  going    9 

down  the  mountain-side,  Jesus  cautioned  them  not 
*  Q"e"t.i.°"    to  relate  what  they  had  seen  to  anyone,  till  after 
"  the  Son  of  Man  should  have  risen  again  from  the 
dead.     They  seized  upon  these  words  and  discussed  with  one     10 
another  what  this  '  rising  from  the  dead  '  meant 

Hos.  6.  2.    7  Ps.  2.  7  ;  Isa.  42.  i. 


22  MARK,  Q. 

"  How  is  it,"  they  asked  Jesus,  "  that  our  Teachers  of  the     II 
Law  say  that  Elijah  has  to  come  first  ?  " 

"  Elijah  does  indeed  come  first,"  answered  Jesus,  "and  re-     12 
establish  everything ;  and  does  not  Scripture  speak,  with  regard 
to  the  Son  of  Man,  of  his  undergoing  much  suffering  and  being 
utterly  despised?      But  I  tell  you  that  Elijah  has  come,  and     13 
people  have  treated  him  just  as  they  pleased,  as  Scripture  says 
of  him." 

When  they  came  to  the  other  disciples,  they  saw     14 
an  epileptic  a  great  crowd  round  them,  and  some  Teachers  of 

B°y-         the  Law  arguing  with  them.    But,  as  soon  as  they     15 
saw  Jesus,  all  the  people,  in  great  astonishment,  ran  up  and 
greeted  him. 

"  What  are  you  arguing  about  with  them  ?  "  Jesus  asked.        16 

"  Teacher,"  answered  a  man  in  the  crowd,  "  I  brought  my     17 
son  to  see  you,  as  he  has  a  dumb  spirit  in  him  ;  and,  wherever     18 
it  seizes  him,  it  dashes  him  down  ;  he  foams  at  theimouth  and 
grinds  his  teeth,  and  he  is  pining  away.     I  asked  your  disciples 
to  drive  the  spirit  out,  but  they  failed." 

"O  faithless  generation  !"  exclaimed  Jesus.     "How  long     19 
must  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long  must  I  have  patience  with 
you  ?     Bring  the  boy  to  me." 

They  brought  him  to  Jesus ;   but  no  sooner  did  the  boy  see     20 
him  than  the  spirit  threw  him  into  convulsions  ;  and  he  fell 
on  the  ground,  and  rolled  about,  foaming  at  the  mouth. 

"  How  long  has  he  been  like  this?  "    Jesus  asked  the  boy's     21 
father. 

"From  his  childhood,"  he  answered;    "and  it  has  often     22 
thrown  him  into  fire  and  into  water  to  put  an  end  to  his  life  ; 
but,  if  you  can  possibly  do  anything,  take  pity  on  us,  and 
help  us  ! " 

"Why   say  'possibly'?"  Jesus   replied.      "Everything   is     23 
possible  for  one  who  has  faith." 
The  hoy's  father  immediately  cried  out  :  24 

"  I  have  faith  ;  help  my  want  of  faith  !  " 

But,  when  Jesus  saw  that  a  crowd'  was  quickly  collecting,  he     25 
rebuked  the  foul  spirit : 

"  Deaf  and  dumb  spirit,  it  is  I  who  command  you.     Come 
out  from  him  and  never  enter  him  again." 

With  a  loud  cry  the  spirit  threw  the  boy  into  repeated  convul-     26 
sions,  and   then  came  out  from  him.     The  boy  looked  like  a 
corpse,  so  that  most  of  them  said  that  he  was  dead.     But  Jesus     27 
took  his  hand,  and  lifted  him  ;  and  he  stood  up.     When  Jesus     28 
had  gone  indoors,  his  disciples  asked  him  privately : 

"  Why  could  not  we  drive  it  out  ?  " 

"  A  spirit  of  this  kind,"  he  said,  "  can  be  driven  out  only  by     29 
prayer. 

"  Mai.  4.  s-6. 


MARK,  9.  23 

Leaving  that  place,  Jesus  and  his  disciples  went     30 
a. second t"ime, on  their  way  through  Galilee;  but  he  did  not 
foretells    '  wish  any  one  to  know  it,  for  he  was  instructing     31 
his  Death.    j-,js  disciples,  and  telling  them — 
"The  Son  of  Man  is  being  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his 
fellow  men,  and  they  will  put  him  to  death,  but,  when  he  has 
been  put  to  death,  he  will  rise  again  after  three  days." 
But  the  disciples  did  not  understand  his  meaning    and  were     32 
afraid  to  question  him. 

Jesus  They  came  to  Capernaum.  When  Jesus     33 

teaches  at    had  gone  into  the  house,  he  asked  them  : 
Capernaum.       "  What  were  you  discussing  on  the  way  ?  " 

on  But  they  were  silent ;  for  on  the  way  they  had     34 

Humility.     been  arguing  with  one  another  which  was  the 
greatest.     Sitting  down,  Jesus  called  the  Twelve  and  said  :         35 

"  If  any  one  wishes  to  be  first,  he  must  be  last  of  all,  and 
servant  of  all." 

Then  Jesus  took  a  little  child,  and  placed  it  in  the  middle  of     36 
them.     Folding  it  in  his  arms,  he  said  to  them  : 

"  Any  one  who,  for  the  sake  of  my  Name,  welcomes  even  a     37 
little  child  like  this  is  welcoming  me,  and  any  one  who  welcomes 
me  is  welcoming  not  me,  but  him  who  sent  me  as  his  Messenger. " 

On  "  Teacher,"  said  John,  "  we  saw  a  man  driving     38 

Toleration,    out  demons  by  using  your  name,  and  we  tried  to 
prevent  him,  because  he  did  not  follow  us." 

"None  of  you   must  prevent  the  man,"  answered  Jesus,     39 
"  for  no  one  will  use  my  name  in  working  a  miracle,  and  yet 
find  it  easy  to  speak  evil  of  me.     He  who  is   not  against    40 
us  is  for  us.  If  any  one  gives  you  a  cup  of  water  be-    41 

cause  you  belong  to  Christ,  I  tell  you,  he  shall  assuredly  not  lose 
Against       his  reward.  And,  if  any  one  puts  a  snare  in     42 

hindering    the  way  of  one  of  these  lowly  ones  who  believe  in 
others.       me>   }(•  would  be  far  better  for  him  if  he   had 
been  thrown  into  the  sea  with  a  great  millstone  round  his 
neck.  If  your  hand  proves  a  snare  to  you,  cut  it  off.     43 

It  would  be  better  for  you  to  enter  the  Life  maimed,  than  to 
have  both  your  hands  and  go  into  the  Pit,  into  the  inextinguish- 
able fire.      If  your  foot  proves  a  snare  to  you,  cut  it  off.      It    45 
would  be  better  for  you  to  enter  the  Life  lame,  than  to  have 
both  your  feet  and  be  thrown  into  the  Pit.     If  your  eye  proves     47 
a  snare  to  you,  tear  it  out.     It  would  be  better  for  you  to  enter 
the  Kingdom  of  God  with  only  one  eye,  than  to  have  both 
eyes  and  be  thrown  into  the  Pit,   where   '  their  worm  does     48 
not  die,  and  the  fire  is  not  put  out.'    For  it  is  by  fire  that  every    49 
one  will  be  salted.  Salt  is  good,  but,  if  the  salt  should     50 

lose  its  saltness,  what  will  you  use  to  season  it  ?     You  must 
have  salt  in  yourselves,  and  live  at  peace  with  one  another," 

?1  Bos.  6.  2.     «  Isa.  66.  24. 


24  MARK,  1O. 

III.     THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM. 

A  Question        ^n  leavmg  that  place,  Jesus  went  into  the  dis-     i    1( 
about        trict  of  Judaea  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan. 
Divorce.      Crowds  gathered  about  him  again  ;  and  again,  as 

usual,  he  began  teaching  them.  Presently  some  Phari-     2 

sees  came  up  and,  to  test  him,  asked  : 

"  Has  a  husband  the  right  to  divorce  his  wife  ?  " 

"  What  direction  did  Moses  give  you  ?  "  replied  Jesus.  3 

"  Moses,"  they  said,  "  permitted  a  man  to  '  draw  up  in  writ-    4 

ing  a  notice  of  separation  and  divorce  his  wife. ' " 

"  It  was  owing  to  the  hardness  of  your  hearts,"  said  Jesus,     5 

"  that  Moses  gave  you  this  direction  ;  but,  at  the  beginning  of    6 

the  Creation,  God  '  made  them  male  and  female.' 

'  For  this  reason  a  man  shall  leave  his  father   and  mother,         7,  8 
and  the  man  and  his  wife  shall  become  one  ; ' 

so  that  they  are  no  longer  two,  but  one.     What  God  himself,     9 
then,  has  yoked  together  man  must  not  separate." 
When  they  were  indoors,  the  disciples  asked  him  again  about     10 
this,  and  he  said  :  1 1 

"  Any  one  who  divorces  his  wife  and  marries  another  woman 
is  guilty  of  adultery  against  his  wife  ;   and,  if  the  woman     12 
divorces  her  husband  and  marries  another  man,  she  is  guilty 
of  adultery." 

jesus  blesses     Some  of  the  people  were  bringing  little  children     13 
little         to  Jesus,  for  him  to  touch  them  ;  but  the  disciples 

Children,      found  fault  with  those  who  had  brought  them. 
When,  however,  Jesus  saw  this,  he  was  indignant.  14 

' '  Let  the  little  children  come  to  me, "  he  said ,  "  do  not  hinder 
them ;   for  it  is  to  the  childlike  that  the   Kingdom  of  God 
belongs.     I  tell  you,  unless  a  man  receives  the  Kingdom  of    15 
God  like  a  child,  he  will  not  enter  it  at  all." 

Then  he  folded  the  children  in  his  arms,  and,  placing  his  hands     16 
on  them,  gave  them  his  blessing. 

The  Re-          And,  as  Jesus  was  resuming  his  journey,  a  man     17 
spons.bii.tios  came  running  up  to  him,  and  threw  himself  on 

of  wealth.     njs  knees  before  him. 

"Good   Teacher,"  he  asked,  "what  must   I  do   to  gain 
Immortal  Life?" 

"Why  do  you  call  me  good?"  answered  Jesus.     "  No  one     18 
is  good  but  God.     You  know  the  commandments —  19 

'  Do  not  kill.  Do  not  commit  adultery.  Do  not  steal.  Do 
not  say  what  is  false  about  others.  Do  not  cheat.  Honour 
thy  father  and  thy  mother.' " 

*  Deut.  14.  i.    «  Gen.  i.  37.    1  Gen.  a.  34.     '»  Deut.  5.  17—20. 


MARK,  1O.  25 

"  Teacher,"  he  replied,  "  I  have  observed  all  these  from  my    20 
childhood." 

Jesus  looked  at  the  man,  and  his  heart  went  out  to  him,  and  he     21 
said  : 

"There  is  still  one  thing  wanting  in  you  ;  go  and  sell  all 
that  you  have,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  you  shall  have  wealth 
in  Heaven  ;  then  come  and  follow  me." 

But  the  man's  face  clouded  at  these  words,  and  he  went  away     22 
distressed,  for  he  had  great  possessions. 

Then  Jesus  looked  round,  and  said  to  his  disciples  :  23 

"  How  hard  it  will  be  for  men  of  wealth  to  enter  the  Kingdom 
of  God  ! " 

The   disciples  were  amazed  at  his  words.     But  Jesus  said     24 
again  : 

"My    children,    how    hard    a    thing    it    is    to    enter    the 
Kingdom  of  God  !     It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  get  through     25 
a  needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
God." 

"  Then  who  can  be  saved  ?  "  they  exclaimed  in  the  greatest     26 
astonishment. 
Jesus  looked  at  them,  and  answered  :  27 

"With  men  it  is  impossible,  but  not  with  God  ;  for  every- 
thing is  possible  with  God." 

"But  we,"  began  Peter,    "we  left  everything  and   have     28 
followed  you.' 

"I  tell  you,"  said  Jesus,   "there  is  no  one  who  has  left     29 
house,  or  brothers,  or  sisters,  or  mother,  or  father,  or  children, 
or  land,  on  my  account  and  on  account  of  the  Good  News, 
who  will  not  receive  a  hundred  times  as  much,  even  now  in  the     30 
present — houses,  and  brothers,  and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and 
children,  and  land — though  not  without  persecutions,  and,  in 
the  age  that  is  coming,  Immortal  Life.     But  many  who  are     31 
first  now  will  then  be  last,  and  the  last  will  be  first." 


Jesus  >  wnen  thev  were  on  their  way,  going  up     32 

a  third  time,  to  Jerusalem,  Jesus  was  walking  in  front  of  the 
foretells     Apostles,  who  were  filled  with  misgivings  ;  while 
>eath"     those  who  were  following  behind  were  alarmed. 
Gathering  the  Twelve  round  him  once  more,  Jesus  began  to 
tell  them  what  was  about  to  happen  to  him. 

"  Listen  !  "  he  said.     "  We  are  going  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and     33 
there  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  betrayed  to  the  Chief  Priests  and 
the  Teachers  of  the  Law,  and  they  will  condemn  him  to  death, 
and  they  will  give  him  up  to  the  Gentiles,  who  will  mock  him,     34 
spit  upon  him,  and  scourge  him,  and  put  him  to  death  ;  and 
after  three  days  he  will  rise  again." 

34  Hos.  6.  2. 


26  MARK,  1O. 

The  Request      James  and  John,  the  two  sons  of  Zebediah,  went    35 

of  James     to  Jesus,  and  said  : 

and  John.        "  Teacher,  we  want  you  to  do  for  us  what- 
ever we  ask." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do  for  you ?"  he  asked.  36 

"  Grant  us  this,"  they  answered,  "  to  sit,  one  on  your  right,     37 
and  the  other  on  your  left,  when  you  come  in  glory. " 

"You  do  not  know  what  you  are  asking,"  Jesus  said  to     38 
them.     "Can  you   drink   the   cup   that   I  am  to  drink?  or 
receive  the  baptism  that  I  am  to  receive  ?  " 

"Yes,"  they  answered,  "we  can."  39 

"You  shall  indeed  drink  the  cup  that  I  am  to  drink,"  Jesus 
said,  "and  receive  the  baptism  that  I  am  to  receive,  but  as  to     40 
a  seat  at  my  right  or  at  my  left — that  is  not  mine  to  give,  but 
it  is  for  those  for  whom  it  has  been  prepared." 
The  Dignity  On  hearing  of  this,  the  ten  others  were  at  first     41 
of  service,    very   indignant    about  James   and    John.      But     42 
Jesus  called  the  ten  to  him,  and  said  : 

"Those  who  are  regarded  as  ruling  among  the  Gentiles  lord 
it  over  them,  as   you   know,  and   their  great   men  oppress 
them.      But  among   you  it   is  not  so.      No,  whoever  wants     43 
to   become    great    among    you    must    be  your  servant,  and 
whoever  wants  to  take  the  first  place  among  you  must   be    44 
the  servant  of  all  ;  for  even  the  Son  of  Man  came,  not  to  be    45 
served,  but  to  serve,  and  to  give  his  life  as  a  ransom  for 
many." 

Cure  of  They  came   to  Jericho.  When  Jesus    46 

blind        was  going  out  of  the  town  with  his  disciples  and 
Bartimaeus.  a  large  crowd,  Bartimaeus,  the  son  of  Timaeus, 
a  blind  beggar,  was  sitting  by  the  road-side.     Hearing  that  it     47 
was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  he  began  to  call  out : 

"Jesus,  Son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me." 

Many  of  the  people  kept  telling  him  to  be  quiet ;    but  the     48 
man  continued  to  call  out  all  the  louder  : 

"  Son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me." 

Then  Jesus  stopped.     "  Call  him,"  he  said.  49 

So  they  called  the  blind  man. 

"Courage!"  they  exclaimed.     "Get  up;    he    is    calling 
you." 

The   man   threw   off  his   cloak,    sprang    up,    and    came    to     50 
Jesus. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ?  "  said  Jes,us,  address-    51 
ing  him. 

"Rabboni,"  the  blind  man  answered,  "I  want  to  recover 
my  sight." 

"  You  may  go,"  Jesus  said  ;  "your  faith  has  delivered  you."     52 
Immediately  he  recovered  his  sight,  and  began  to  follow  Jesus 
along  the  road. 


MARK,  11.  27 

IV.— THE  LAST  DAYS. 

jesus  enters      When  they  had  almost  reached  Jerusalem,  as  far     i 
Jerusalem,    as  Bcthphage  and  Bethany,  near  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  Jesus  sent  on  two  of  his  disciples. 

"  Go  to  the  village  facing  you,"  he  said  ;  "and,  as  soon  as     2 
you   get   there,  you  will  find  a  foal  tethered,  which  no  one 
has  ever  ridden ;  untie  it,  and  bring  it.     And,  if  any  one  says  to     3 
you  'Why  are  you  doing  that?',   say  'The  Master  wants  it, 
and  will  be  sure  to  send  it  back  here  at  once.' " 
The  two  disciples  went,  and,  finding  a  foal  tethered  outside  a     4 
door  in  the  street,  they  untied  it.     Some  of  the  by-standers  said     5 
to  them  :  ' '  What  are  you  doing,  untying  the  foal  ?  "  and  the  two     6 
disciples  answered  as  Jesus  had  told  them  ;    and  they  allowed 
them  to  go.     Then  they  brought  the  foal  to  Jesus,  and,  when     7  ' 
they  had  laid  their  cloaks  on  it,  he  seated  himself  upon  it. 
Many  of  the  people  spread  their  cloaks  on  the  road,  while     8 
some  strewed  boughs  which   they  had   cut  from  the  fields  ; 
and  those  who  led  the  way,  as  well  as  those  who  followed,     9 
kept  shouting : 

"  '  God  save  him  ! 

Blessed  is  He  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! ' 

Blessed  is  the  coming  Kingdom  of  our  father  David  !  10 

'  God  save  him  from  on  high  ! '  " 

Jesus  entered  Jerusalem,  and  went  into  the  Temple  Courts  ;     n 
and,  after  looking  round  at  everything,  as  it  was  already  late, 
he  went  out  to  Bethany  with  the  Twelve. 

The  The  next  day,  after  they  had  left  Bethany,  Jesus     1 2 

fruitless      became  hungry;   and,  noticing   a  fig-tree  at  a     13 
Fie  Tree,     distance  in  leaf,  he  went  to  it  to  see  if  by  any 
chance  he  could  find  something  on  it ;  but,  on  coming  up  to 
it,  he  found  nothing  but  leaves,  for  it  was  not  the  season  for 
figs.     So,  addressing  the  tree,  he  exclaimed  :  14 

"  May  no  man  ever  again  eat  of  your  fruit ! " 
And  his  disciples  heard  what  he  said. 

Jesus  They  came  to  Jerusalem.  Jesus  went     15 

in  the        into  the  Temple  Courts,  and  began  to  drive  out 
Temple,      those  who  were  buying  and  selling  there.     He 
overturned  the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and  the  seats  of 
the  pigeon-dealers,  and  would  not  allow  any  one  to  carry  any-     16 
thing  across  the  Temple  Courts.     Then  he  began  to  teach.  17 

"  Does  not  Scripture  say,"  he  asked, 

"  '  My  House  shall  be  called  a  House  of  Prayer  for  all  the 
nations '  ? 

But  you  have  made  it  '  a  den  of  robbers. '  " 

Now  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  heard  this,     18 

»  Ps.  1 18.  25,  26.     10  Ps.  148.  i.    "Isa.  56.  7;  Jer.  7.  ii. 


28  MARK,  11—12. 

and  began  to  look  for  some  way  of  putting  Jesus  to  death  ;  for 
they  were  afraid  of  him,  since  all  the  people  were  greatly 
impressed  by  his  teaching.  As  soon  as  evening  fell,  19 

Jesus  and  his  disciples  went  out  of  the  city. 

As  they  passed  by  early  in  the  morning,  they  noticed  that  20 
the  fig-tree  was  withered  up  from  the  very  roots.  Then  Peter  21 
recollected  what  had  occurred. 

"Look,   Rabbi,"  he   exclaimed,   "the  fig-tree  which  you 
doomed  is  withered  up  !  " 

"Have  faith  in  God!"  replied  Jesus.     "I  tell  you  that  if    22, 
any  one  should  say  to  this  hill  '  Be  lifted  up  and  hurled  into  the 
sea  ! ',  without  ever  a  doubt  in  his  mind,  but  in  the  faith  that 
what  he  says  will  be  done,  he  would  find  that  it  would  be. 
And  therefore  I  say  to  you  '  Have  faith  that  whatever  you  ask     24 
for  in  prayer  is  already  granted  you,  and  you  will  find  that  it 
will  be.'     And,  whenever  you  stand  up  to  pray,  forgive  any     25 
grievance  that  you  have  against  any  one,  that  your  Father  who 
is  in  Heaven  also  may  forgive  you  your  offences." 

jesus  They  came  to  Jerusalem  again.  While     27 

and  the      Jesus  was  walking  about  in  the  Temple  Courts, 
chief  priests.  the  Chief  Priests,  the  Teachers  of  the  Law,  and 
the  Councillors  came  up  to  him. 

"What  authority  have  you  to  do  these  things?"  they  said.  28 
"Who  gave  you  the  authority  to  do  them ? " 

"  I  will  put  one  question  to  you,"  said  Jesus.     "  Answer  me     29 
that,  and  then  I  will  tell  you  what  authority  I  have  to  act  as  I 
do.     It  is  about  John's  baptism.     Was  it  of  divine  or  human     30 
origin  ?     Answer  me  that." 
They  began  arguing  together :  31 

"If  we  say  'divine,'  he  will  say  'Why  then  did  not  you 

believe  him  ? '     Yet  can  we  say  '  human '  ?  " 32 

They  were  afraid  of  the  people,  for  every  one  regarded  John  as 
undoubtedly  a  Prophet.     So  their  answer  to  Jesus  was — "We     33 
do  not  know." 

"  Then  I,"  replied  Jesus,  "  refuse  to  tell  you  what  authority  I 
have  to  do  these  things." 

Parable  And  Jesus  began  to  speakto them  in  parables :     i    ; 

or  the  wicked      "A  man  once  planted  a  vineyard,  put  a  fence 

Tenants,      round  it,  dug  a  wine-press,  built  a  tower,  and 
then  let  it  out  to  tenants  and  went  abroad.     At  the  proper  time     2 
he  sent  a  servant  to  the  tenants,  to  receive  from  them  a  share 
of  the  produce  of  the  vintage  ;  but  they  seized  him,  and  beat  him,     3 
and  sent  him  away  empty-handed.     A  second  time  the  owner    4 
sent  a  servant  to  them  ;  this  man,  too,  the  tenants  struck  on  the 
head,  and  insulted.      He  sent  another,  but  him  they  killed  ;     5 
and   so  with   many  others — some  they  beat  and  «ome  they 
killed.     He  had  still  one  son,  who  was  very  dear  tv.  tarn  ;  and    6 

1  Isa.  5   i,  a. 


MARK,  12.  29 

him  he  sent   to   them   last  of  all.       '  They  will  respect  my 
son,'  he  said.     But  those  tenants  said  to  one  another  '  Here  is     7 
the  heir !    Come,  let   us   kill    him,  and   his  inheritance  will 
be  ours.'      So  they  seized  him,  and  killed  him,  and  threw  his     8 
body  outside  the  vineyard.     What  will  the  owner  of  the  vine-     9 
yard  do  ?     He  will  come  and  put  the  tenants  to  death,  and 
he  will  let   the  vineyard  to  others.  Have  you  never     10 

read  this  passagfe  of  Scripture  ? — 

'  The  very  stone  which  the  builders  despised 
Has  now  itself  become  the  corner-stone  ; 
This  corner-stone  has  come  from  the  Lord,  1 1 

And  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.'" 

After  this  his  enemies  were  eager  to  arrest  him,  but  they  were     12 
afraid  of  the  crowd  ;  for  they  saw  that  it  was  at  them  that  he 
had  aimed  the  parable.     So  they  let  him  alone,  and  went  away. 

A  Question        Afterwards  they    sent  to  Jesus    some  of  the'    13 
about        Pharisees  and  of  the  Herodians,  to  set  a  trap  for 

Tribute.       him  in  the  course  of  conversation.      These  men     14 
came  to  him  and  said  : 

"Teacher,  we  know  that  you  are  an  honest  man,  and  are 
not  afraid  of  any  one,  for  you   pay  no  regard  to  a  man's 
position,  but  teach  the  Way  of  God  honestly  ;  are  we  right  in 
paying  taxes  to  the  Emperor,  or  not?     Should  we  pay,   or     15 
should  we  not  pay  ?  " 
Knowing  their  hypocrisy,  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

"Why  are  you  testing  me  ?     Bring  me  a  florin  to  look  at." 
And,  when  they  had  brought  it,  he  asked  :  16 

"  Whose  head  and  title  are  these  ?  " 

"The  Emperor's,"  they  said  ;  and  Jesus  replied  :  17 

"  Pay  to  the  Emperor  what  belongs  to  the  Emperor,  and  to 
God  what  belongs  to  God." 
And  they  wondered  at  him. 

A  Question        Next   came   some    Sadducees — the   men  who     18 
about  the    maintain  that  there  is  no  resurrection.      Their 
Resurrection,  question  was  this — 

"  Teacher,  in  our  Scriptures  Moses  decreed  that,  should  a     19 
man's  brother  die,  leaving  a  widow  but  no  child,  the  man 
should  take   the  widow  as   his  wife,  and  raise  up  a  family 
for  his  brother.     There  were  once  seven  brothers  ;   of  whom     20 
the  eldest  took  a  wife,  but   died  and   left   no   family;   and     21 
the  second  took  her,  and  died  without  family  ;  and  so  did  the 
third.     AJ*  the  seven  died  and  left  no  family.      The  woman     22 
herself  di"d  te^t  of  all.      At  the  resurrection  whose  wife  will     23 
she  be,  ?  (  ser'<en  brothers  having  had  her  as  their  wife  ? " 

10-11  ps.  1,8.  22,  23.    19  Deut.  25.  5,  6. 


30  MARK,  12. 

"  Is  not  the  reason  of  your  mistake,"  answered  Jesus,  "  your     24 
ignorance  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  power  of  God  ?   When     25 
men    rise   from    the   dead,   there   is    no   marrying  or   being 
married  ;  but  they  are  as  angels  in  Heaven.     As  to  the  dead,     26 
and  the  fact  that  they  rise,  have  you  never  read  in  the  Book 
of  Moses,  in  the  passage  about  the  Bush,  how  God  spoke  to 

him  thus — 

i 

'  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob  '  ? 

He    is    not    God    of  dead    men,    but   of    living.      You    are     27 
greatly  mistaken." 

The  Great         Then  came  up  one  of  the  Teachers  of  the  Law     28 
command*    who  had  heard  their  discussions.     Knowing  that 
ment.        Jesus  had  answered  them  wisely,  he  asked  him 
this  question  : 

"What  is  the  first  of  all  the  commandments?  " 

"The  first,"  answered  Jesus,  "is —  29 

'  Hear,  O  Israel ;   the  Lord  our  God  is  the  one  Lord  ;  and         30 
thbu  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength.' 

The  second  is  this —  31 

'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  love  thyself.' 

There  is  no  commandment  greater  than  these." 

"  Wisely  answered,  Teacher!"  exclaimed  the  Teacher  of  the     32 
Law.     "It  is  true,  as  you  say,  that  '  there  is  one  God,'  and 
that  '  there  is  no  other  besides  him  ' ;  and  to  '  love  him  with     33 
all  one's  heart,  and  with  all  one's  understanding,  and  with 
all  one's  strength,'  and  to  'love  one's  neighbour  as  one  loves 
oneself  is  far  beyond  all  'burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices.'" 
Seeing  that  he  had  answered  with  discernment,  Jesus  said  to     34 
him  : 

"  You  are  not  far  from  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
After  that  no  one  ventured  to  question  him  further. 

Christ  While   Jesus    was    teaching    in    the    Temple     35 

the  son  of    Courts,  he  asked  : 

David.  «  How  is  it  that  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  say 

that  the  Christ  is  to  be  David's  son  ?     David  said  himself,     36 
speaking  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit — 

' The  Lord  said  to  my  lord  :  "Sit  at  my  right  hand, 
Until  I  put  thy  enemies  beneath  thy  feet.'" 

David  himself  calls  him  '  lord,'  how  comes  it,  then,  that  he     37 
is  to  be  his  son  ?  " 

'*  Exod.  3.  a— 6.        »-30  Dcut.  6.  4,  5.         81  Lev.  19.  18.         »  Deut.  6.  4,  5. 
«•  Dcut.  4.  39 ;  Lev.  19.  18 ;  i  Sam.  15.  aa.        *>  PS,  no.  i. 


MARK,  12—13.  31 

The  mass  of  the  people  listened  to  Jesus  with 
a^aTnJt  the  delight.  In  the  course  of  his  teaching,     38 

Teachers  of   JeSUS  Said  : 

the  Law.      "See  that  you  are  on  your  guard  against  the 
Teachers  of  the  Law,    who  delight  to  walk  about  in  long 
robes,  and  to  be  greeted  in  the  streets  with  respect,  and  to     39 
have  the  best  seats  in  the  Synagogues,  and  places  of  honour 
at  dinner.     They  are  the  men  that  rob  widows  of  their  homes,     40 
and  make  a  pretence  of  saying  long  prayers.     Their  sentence 
will  be  all  the  heavier. " 
The  widows       Then  Jesus  sat  down  opposite  the  chests  for    41 

offering,      the  Temple    offerings,   and    watched    how    the 
people  put  money  into  them.     Many  rich  people  were  putting 
in  large  sums  ;    but  one  poor  widow  came  and  put  in  two    42 
farthings,   which  make  a  half-penny.      On  this,  calling  his    43 
disciples  to  him,  Jesus  said  : 

"  I  tell  you  that  this  poor  widow  has  put  in  more  than  all 
the  others  who  were  putting  money  into  the  chests  ;  for  every    44 
one  else  put  in  something  from  what  he  had  to  spare,  while 
she,  in  her  need,  put   in  all    she  had — everything  that   she 
had  to  live  on." 

Jesus  As  Jesus   was  walking  out  of   the    Temple     i    13 

foretells  the  Courts,  one  of  his  disciples  said  to  him  : 
o^eT^mpre      "Teacher,  look  what  fine  stones  and  buildings 
and  the  End   these  are  !  " 

of  the  Age.         "  Do  you  see  these  great  buildings?"  asked     2 
Jesus.      "  Not  a  single  stone  will  be  left  here  upon  another, 
which  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 

When  Jesus  had  sat  down  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  facing     3 
the  Temple,  Peter,  James,  John,  and  Andrew  questioned  him 
privately :    "Tell  us  when  this  will  be,  and  what  will  be  the     4 
sign  when  all  this  is  drawing  to  its  close."    Then  Jesus  began  :     5 
"See  that  no  one  leads  you  astray.     Many  will  take  my    6 
name,    and   come    saying   '  I  am  He ',   and  will   lead  many 
astray.     And,  when  you  hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars,     7 
do  not  be  alarmed  ;  such  things  must  occur;  but  the  end  is 
not  yet.      For  '  nation  will  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom     8 
against  kingdom ' ;  there  will  be  earthquakes  in  various  places  ; 
there  will  be  famines.     This  will  be  but  the  beginning  of  the 
birth-pangs.    See  to  yourselves !    They  will  betray  you  to  courts     9 
of  law  ;    and  you  will  be  taken  to  Synagogues  and  beaten  ; 
and  you  will  be  brought  up  before  governors  and  kings  for 
my  sake,  that  you  may  bear  witness  before  them.     But  the     10 
Good  News  must  first  be  proclaimed  to  every  nation.    When-     1 1 
ever  they  betray  you  and  hand  you  over  for  trial,  do  not  be 
anxious  beforehand  as  to  what  you  shall  say,  but  say  what- 
ever is  given  you  at  the  moment ;  for  it  will  not  be  you  who 

7  Dan.  2.  28.     8  Isa.  19.  2. 


32  MARK,  13. 

speak,  but  the  Holy  Spirit.  Brother  will  betray  brother 
to  death,  and  the  father  his  child  ;  and  children  will  turn 
against  their  parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death  ;  and 
you  will  be  hated  by  every  one  on  account  of  my  Name.  Yet 
the  man  that  endures  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.  As 

soon,  however,  as  you  see  '  the  Foul  Desecration '  standing 
where  he  ought  not "  (the  reader  must  consider  what  this 
means)  "then  those  of  you  who  are  in  Judaea  must  take  refuge 
in  the  mountains  ;  and  a  man  on  the  house-top  must  not  go 
down,  or  go  in  to  get  anything  otit  of  his  house  ;  nor  must 
one  who  is  on  his  farm  turn  back  to  get  his  cloak.  And  alas 
for  the  women  that  are  with  child,  and  for  those  that  are  nurs- 
ing infants  in  those  days  !  Pray,  too,  that  this  may  not  occur  in 
winter.  For  those  days  will  be  a  time  of  distress,  the  like  of 
which  has  not  occurred  from  the  beginning  of  God's  creation 
until  now — and  never  will  again.  And,  had  not  the  Lord  put 
a  limit  to  those  days,  not  a  single  soul  would  escape ;  but, 
for  the  sake  of  God's  own  chosen  People,  he  did  limit 
them.  And  at  that  time  if  any  one  should  say  to  you 

'  Look,  here  is  the  Christ ! '  '  Look,  there  he  is  ! ',  do  not 
believe  it ;  for  false  Christs  and  false  Prophets  will  arise,  and 
display  signs  and  marvels,  to  lead  astray,  were  it  possible, 
even  God's  People.  But  sec  that  you  are  on  your  guard  !  I 
have  told  you  all  this  beforehand.  In  those  days,  after 

that  time  of  distress,  '  the  sun  will  be  darkened,  the  moon 
will  not  give  her  light,  the  stars  will  be  falling  from  the 
heavens,'  and  'the  forces  that  are  in  the  heavens  will  be 
convulsed.'  Then  will  be  seen  the  'Son  of  Man  coming  in 
clouds '  with  great  power  and  glory  ;  and  then  he  will  send 
the  angels,  and  gather  his  People  from  the  four  winds,  from 
one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other. 

The  Need  Learn  the  lesson  taught  by  the  fig-tree.  As 
for  soon  as  its  branches  are  full  of  sap,  and  it  is 
watchfulness,  bursting  into  leaf,  you  know  that  summer  is 
near.  And  so  may  you,  as  soon  as  you  see  these  things  hap- 
pening, know  that  he  is  at  your  doors.  I  tell  you  that  even 
the  present  generation  will  not  pass  away,  until  all  these 
things  have  taken  place.  The  heavens  and  the  earth  will  pass 
away,  but  my  words  will  not  pass  away.  But  about 

'That  Day, 'or  'The  Hour,'  no  one  knows — not  even  the  angels 
in  Heaven,  nor  yet  the  Son — but  only  the  Father.  See 
that  you  are  on  the  watch  ;  for  you  do  not  know  when  the 
time  will  be.  It  is  like  a  man  going  on  a  journey,  who  leaves 
his  home,  puts  his  servants  in  charge — each  having  his  special 
duty — and  orders  the  porter  to  watch.  Therefore  watch,  for 
you  cannot  be  sure  when  the  Master  of  the  house  is  coming — 

12  Mic.  7.  6.       H  Dan.  la.  n.       W  Gen.  19.  26.       l»  Dan.  12.  i.       22  Deut.  13.  i. 
2<  Ida.  13.  10.  2»  Isa.  34.  4.  »  Dan.  7.  13.  ft  Deut.  30.  4 ;   Zech.  a.  6  ; 

Deut.  a&  64. 


MARK,  14.  33 

whether  in  the  evening,  at  midnight,  at  daybreak,  or  in  the 
morning — lest  he  should  come  suddenly  and  find  you  asleep.     36 
And  what  I  say  to  you  I  say  to  all — Watch  !  "  37 

The  Plot          ^  was  now  *wo  days  before  the  Festival  of  the     i  14 
against       Passover  and  the  Unleavened  Bread.  The 

jesus.        Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  were 
looking  for  an  opportunity  to   arrest  Jesus   by  stealth,  and 
to  put  him  to  death  ;  for  they  said  :  ' '  Not  during  the  Festival,     2 
for  fear  of  a  riot." 

When  Jesus  was  still  at  Bethany,  in  the  house     3 
anointed  by  °^   Simon  the  leper,   while  he  was   at   table,  a 

a  woman     woman   came  with  an  alabaster  jar  of  choice 

at  Bethany,   spikenard  perfume  of  great  value.      She  broke 
the  jar,  and  poured  the  perfume  on  his  head.     Some  of  those     4 
who  were  present  said  to  one  another  indignantly : 

"Why  has  the  perfume  been  wasted  like  this?     This  per-     5 
fume  could  have  been  sold  for  more  than  thirty  pounds,  and 
the  money  given  to  the  poor." 

"  Let  her  alone,"  said  Jesus,  as  they  began  to  find  fault  with     6 
her,  "why  are  you  troubling  her?     This  is  a  beautiful  deed 
that  she  has  done  for  me.     You  always  have  the  poor  with  you,     7 
and  whenever  you  wish  you  can  do  good  to  them  ;  but  you 
will  not  always  have  me.     She  has  done  what  she  could  ;  she     8 
has  perfumed  my  body  beforehand  for  my  burial.    And  I  tell  you,     9 
wherever,  in  the  whole  world,  the  Good  News  is  proclaimed, 
what  this  woman  has  done  will  be  told  in  memory  of  her." 
Judas  agrees      After  this,  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  Twelve,     10 

to  betray      went  to    the  Chief  Priests,  to  betray  Jesus   to 

Jesus.        them.     They  were  glad  to  hear  what  he  said,     n 
and  promised  to  pay  him.     So  he  looked  for  a  way  to  betray 
Jesus  opportunely. 

Tne  On  the  first  day  of  the  Festival  of  the  Un-     12 

Passover,     leavened  Bread,  when  it  was  customary  to  kill 
the  Passover  lambs,  his  disciples  said  to  Jesus  : 

"  Where  do  you  wish  us  to  go  and  make  preparations  for 
your  eating  the  Passover  ?  " 
Jesus  sent  forward  two  of  his  disciples  and  said  to  them  :  13 

"  Go  into  the  city,  and  there  a  man  carrying  a  pitcher  of  water 
will  meet  you  ;  follow  him  ;  and,  wherever  he  goes  in,  say  to     14 
the  owner  of  the  house  '  The  Teacher  says — Where  is  my 
room  where  I  am  to  eat  the  Passover  with  my  disciples  ?'   He     15 
will  himself  show  you  a  large  upstairs  room,  set  out  ready  ; 
and  there  make  preparations  for  us." 

So  the  disciples  set  out  and  went   into  the  city,  and  found     16 
everything  just  as  Jesus  had  told  them  ;   and  they  prepared 
the  Passover. 

c 


34  MARK,  14. 

In  the  evening  he  went  there  with  the  Twelve,  and,  when     17, 
they  had  taken  their  places  and  were  eating,  Jesus  said  : 

"  I  tell  you  that  one  of  you  is  going  to  betray  me — one  who 
is  eating  with  me." 

They  were  grieved  at  this,  and  began  to  say  to  him,  one  after     19 
another : 

"  Can  it  be  I  ?  " 

"It  is  one  of  you  Twelve,"  said  Jesus,    "the  one  who  is     20 
dipping  his  bread  beside  me  into  the  dish.      True,  the  Son     21 
of  Man  must  go,  as  Scripture  says  of  him,  yet  alas  for  that 
man  by  whom  the  Son  of  Man  is  being  betrayed  !     For  that 
man  '  it  would  be  better  never  to  have  been  born  ! ' " 
The 'Lord's       While  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  some  bread,     22 

supper.'      and,  after  saying  the  blessing,  broke  it,  and  gave 
it  to  them,  and  said  : 

"Take  it ;  this  is  my  body." 

Then  he  took  a  cup,  and,  after  saying  the  thanksgiving,  gave     23 
it  to  them,  and  they  all  drank  from  it.  • 

"This  is  my  Covenant-blood,"  he  said,  "which  is  poured     24 
out  on  behalf  of  many.     I  tell  you  that  I  shall  never  again     25 
drink  of  the  juice  of  the  grape,  until  that  day  when  I  shall 
drink  it  new  in  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

They  then  sang  a  hymn,  and  went  out  up  the  Mount  of  Olives.     26 
Peter's  Fail  Presently  Jesus  said  to  them  :  27 

foretold.          "  All  of  you  will  fall  away  ;  for  Scripture  says — 

'  I  will  strike  down  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  will  be 
scattered.' 

Yet,  after  I  have  risen,  I  shall  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  28 

"  Even  if  every  one  else  falls  away,"  said  Peter,  "yet  I  shall     29 

not." 

"  I  tell  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "  that  you  yourself  to-day —     30 

yes,  this  very  night — before  the  cock  crows  twice,  will  disown 

me  three  times." 

But  Peter  vehemently  protested  :  31 

"  Even  if  I  must  die  with  you,  I  shall  never  disown  you  !" 

And  they  all  said  the  same. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  garden  known  as     32 
Jesus  in      Gethsemane,  and  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples  "  Sit 

Ccthsemane.     .  '.  ..      -•'  „ 

down  here  while  I  pray. 

He  took  with  him  Peter,  James,  and  John,  and  began  to  show     33 
signs  of  great  dismay  and  deep  distress  of  mind. 

"I  am  sad  at  heart,"  he  said,  "sad  even  to  death  ;    wait     34 
here,  and  watch." 

Going  on  a  little  further,  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and     35 
began  to  pray  that,  if  it  were  possible,  he  might  be  spared  that 
hour.  36 

"  P»  41.  9.      21  Enoch  38.  a.      24  Exod.  34.  &      »  Zech.  13.  7. 


MARK,  14.  35 

"Abba,  Father,"  he  said,  "all  things  are  possible  to  thee ; 
take  away  this  cup  from  me  ;  yet,  not  what  I  will,  but  what 
thou  wiliest." 

Then  he  came  and  found  the  three  Apostles  asleep.  37 

"Simon,"  he  said  to  Peter,  "are  you  asleep?     Could  not 
you  watch  for  one  hour  ?      Watch  and  pray,"  he  said  to  them     38 
all,  "that  you  may  not  fall  into  temptation.     True,  the  spirit 
is  eager,  but  human  nature  is  weak." 

Again  he  went  away,  and  prayed  in  the  same  words  ;   and     39,  40 
coming  back  again  he  found  them  asleep,  for  their  eyes  were 
heavy  ;  and  they  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  him.     A  third     41 
time  he  came,  and  said  to  them  : 

"  Sleep  on  now,  and  rest  yourselves.      Enough  !    My  time 
has  come.    Hark  !  the  Son  of  Man  is  being  betrayed  into  the 
hands  of  wicked  men.       Up,  and  let  us  be  going.      Look  !     42 
my  betrayer  is  close  at  hand. " 

The  And  just  then,  while  he  was   still  speaking,     43 

Arrest  of     Judas,  who  was  one  of  the  Twelve,  came   up ; 
jesua.        ancj  with  him  a  crowd  of  people,  with  swords 
and  clubs,  sent  by  the  Chief  Priests,  the  Teachers  of  the  Law, 
and   the   Councillors.       Now   the   betrayer  had   arranged    a    44 
signal  with  them. 

"The  man  whom  I  kiss,"  he  had  said,  "will  be  the  one  ; 
arrest  him  and  take  him  away  safely." 

As  soon  as  Judas  came,  he  went  up  to  Jesus  at  once,  and  said  :     45 
"Rabbi!"  and  kissed  him.       Then  the  men  seized  Jesus,     46 
and   arrested    him.      One  of    those  who  were  standing  by    47 
drew  his   sword,  and  struck  at  the   High    Priest's  servant, 
and  cut  off  his  ear.    But  Jesus  interposed,  and  said  to  the  men  :     48 

"Have  you  come  out,  as  if  after  a  robber,  with  swords 
and  clubs,  to  take  me?      I  have  been  among  you  day  after    49 
day  in  the  Temple  Courts  teaching,  and  yet  you  did  not  arrest 
me  ;  but  this  is  in  fulfilment  of  the  Scriptures." 

And  all  the.  Apostles  forsook  him,  and  fled.  One  young     50,51 

man  did  indeed  follow  him,  wrapped  only  in  a  linen  sheet. 
They  tried  to  arrest  him  ;  but  he  left  the  sheet  in  their  hands,     52 
and  fled  naked. 

Then  they  took  Jesus  to  the  High  Priest  ;  and     53 
befor'e'the    all  the   Chief  Priests,  the  Councillors,  and   the 
High  Priest.  Teachers  of  the  Law  assembled.     Peter,  who  had     54 
followed  Jesus  at  a  distance  into  the  court-yard  of  the  High 
Priest,  was  sitting  there  among  the  police-officers,  warming 
himself  at  the  blaze  of  the  fire.     Meanwhile  the  Chief  Priests     55 
and  the  whole  of  the  High  Council  were  trying  to  get  such 
evidence  against  Jesus  as  would  warrant  his  being  put  to  death, 
but  they  could  not  find  any ;  for,  though  there  were  many  who     56 
gave  false  evidence  against  him,  yet  their  evidence  did  not 


36  MARK,  14-15. 

agree.  Presently  some  men  stood  up,  and  gave  this  false 
evidence  against  him — 

' '  We  ourselves  heard  him  say  '  I  will  destroy  this  Temple 
made  with  hands,  and  in  three  days  build  another  made 
without  hands.' " 

Yet  not  even  on  that  point  did  their  evidence  agree.  Then 
the  High  Priest  stood  forward,  and  questioned  Jesus. 

"Have  you  no  answer  to  make?"  he  asked.  "What 
is  this  evidence  which  these  men  are  giving  against 
you  ?  " 

But  Jesus  remained  silent,  and  made  no  answer.  A  second 
time  the  High  Priest  questioned  him. 

"Are  you,"  he  asked,  "the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed 
One?" 

"I  am,"  replied  Jesus,  "and  you  shall  all  see  the  Son  of 
Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Almighty  ;  and  '  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven'." 
At  this  the  High  Priest  tore  his  vestments. 

"Why  do  we  want  any  more  witnesses?"  he  exclaimed. 
"You  heard  his  blasphemy  ?     What  is  your  verdict  ?  " 
They    all     condemned    him,     declaring     that    he     deserved 
death.  Some  of  those  present  began  to  spit  at  him, 

and  to  blindfold  his  eyes,  and  strike  him,  saying,  as  they  did 
so,  "  Now  play  the  Prophet ! "  and  even  the  police-officers 
received  him  with  blows. 

Peter  disowns      While  Peter  was  in  the  court-yard  down  below, 
Jesus.        one  of  the  High  Priest's  maidservants  came  up  ; 
and,  seeing  Peter  warming  himself,  she  looked  closely  at  him, 
and  exclaimed  : 

"Why,  you  were  with  Jesus,  the  Nazarene  ! " 
But  Peter  denied  it. 

"  I  do  not  know  or  understand  what  you  mean,"  he  replied. 
Then  he  went  out  into  the  porch  ;  and  there  the  maidservant, 
on  seeing  him,  began  to  say  again  to  the  by-standers  : 

"  This  is  one  of  them  !  " 

But  Peter  again  denied  it.  Soon  afterwards  the  by-standers 
again  said  to  him  : 

"  You  certainly  are  one  of  them  ;  why,  you  are  a  Galilean  ! " 
But  he  began  to  swear  with  the  most  solemn  imprecations  : 

"  I  do  not  know  the  man  you  are  speaking  about." 
At  that  moment,  for  the  second  time,  a  cock  crowed ;  and  Peter 
remembered  the  words  that  Jesus  had  said  to  him — '  Before  a 
cock  has  crowed  twice,  you  will  disown  me  three  times ' ;  and, 
as  he  thought  of  it,  he  began  to  weep. 

jeaus  boforo  ^s  soon  as  it  was  daylight,  the  Chief  Priests, 
the  Roman  after  holding  a  consultation  with  the  Councillors 
Governor.  an(j  Teachers  of  the  Law— that  is  to  say,  the 

*  Ps.  no.  i ;  Dan.  7.  13. 


MARK,  15.  37 

whole  High  Council — put  Jesus  in  chains,  and  took  him  away, 
and  gave  him  up  to  Pilate. 

"Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  "  asked  Pilate.  2 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Jesus. 

Then  the  Chief  Priests  brought  a  number  of  charges  against    3 
him  ;  upon  which  Pilate  questioned  Jesus  again.  4 

"Have  you  no  reply  to  make?"  he  asked.     "Listen,  how 
many  charges  they  are  bringing  against  you." 
But  Jesus  still  made  no  reply  whatever  ;   at  which  Pilate  was     5 
astonished.  Now,  at  the  Feast,  Pilate  used  to  grant  the     6 

people  the  release  of  any  one  prisoner  whom  they  might  ask 
for.     A  man  called  Barabbas  was  in  prison,  with  the  rioters     7 
who  had  committed  murder  during  a  riot.  So,  when  the  crowd     8 
went  up  and  began  to  ask  Pilate  to  follow  his  usual  custom, 
he  answered  :  9 

' '  Do  you  want  me  to  release  the  '  King  of  the  Jews '  for  you  ?  " 
For  he  was  aware  that  it  was  out  of  jealousy  that  the  Chief     10 
Priests  had  given  Jesus  up  to  him.     But  the  Chief  Priests     n 
incited  the  crowd  to  get  Barabbas  released  instead.     Pilate,     12 
however,  spoke  to  them  again  : 

"What  shall  I  do  then  with  the  man  whom  you  call  the 
'  King  of  the  Jews '  ?  " 
Again  they  shouted  :  "  Crucify  him  !  "  13 

"  Why,  what  harm  has  he  done?  "  Pilate  kept  saying  to  them.     14 
But  they  shouted  furiously  :  "  Crucify  him  !  " 

And  Pilate,  wishing  to  satisfy  the  crowd,  released  Barabbas     15 
to   them,   and,   after   scourging  Jesus,   gave  him   up   to   be 
crucified. 

The  soldiers  then  took  Jesus  away  into  the  court-yard — that     16 
is  the  Government  House — and  they  called  the  whole  garrison 
together.     They  dressed  him  in  a  purple  robe,  and,  having     17 
twisted  a  crown  of  thorns,  put  it  on  him,  and  then  began  to     18 
salute  him. 

"  Long  life  to  you,  King  of  the  Jews  !  "  they  said. 
And  they  kept  striking  him  on  the  head  with  a  rod,  spitting     19 
at  him,  and  bowing  to  the  ground  before  him — going  down 
on  their  knees  ;  and,  when  they  had  left  off  mocking  him,  they     20 
took  off  the  purple  robe,  and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him. 

The  And  they  led  Jesus  out  to  crucify  him  ;    and     21 

crucifixion    they  compelled  a  passer-by,  Simon  from  Cyrene, 

of  Jesus.      Wh0  was  on  nis  way  m  from  the  country,  the 
father  of  Alexander  and  Rufus    to  go  with  them  to  carry  his 
cross.     They  brought  Jesus  to  the  place  which  was  known  as     22 
Golgotha — a  name  which  means  '  Place  of  a  Skull.'     There     23 
they  offered  him  drugged  wine  ;  but  Jesus  refused  it.     Then     24 
they  crucified  him,  and  divided  his  clothes  among  them,  casting 
lots  for  them,  to  settle  what  each  should  take.     It  was  nine  in    25 

33  PS.  69.  31.      24  ps.  32.  ,§. 


38  MARK,  15. 

the  morning-  when  they  crucified  him.      The  words  of  the    26 
charge  against  him,  written  up  over  his  head,  ran  thus — 

'THE    KING   OF   THE   JEWS.' 

And  with  him  they  crucified  two  robbers,  one  on  the  right,     27 
and  the  other  on  the  left.  The  passers-by  railed  at     29 

him,  shaking  their  heads,  as  they  said  : 

"Ah  !  you  who  'destroy  the  Temple  and  build  one  in  three 
days,'  come  down  from  the  cross  and  save  yourself! "  30 

In  the  same  way  the  Chief  Priests,  with  the  Teachers  of  the     31 
Law,  said  to  one  another  in  mockery  : 

"He  saved  others,  but  he  cannot  save  himself!     Let  the     32 
Christ,  the  'King  of  Israel,'  come  down  from  the  cross  now, 
that  we  may  see  it  and  believe." 

Even  the   men  who   had   been  crucified  with  Jesus   reviled 
him. 

The  Death        At  midday,  a  darkness  came  over  the  whole     33 

ot  Jesus,     country,  lasting  till  three  in  the  afternoon.    And,     34 
at  three,  Jesus  called  out  loudly  : 

"  '  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabacthani  ?  '  "  which  means  '  My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?' 
Some  of  those  standing  round  heard  this,  and  said  :  35 

"  Listen  !     He  is  calling  for  Elijah  ! " 

And  a  man  ran,  and,  soaking  a  sponge  in  common  wine,  put     36 
it  on  the  end  of  a  rod,  and  offered  it  to  him  to  drink,  saying 
as  he  did  so  : 

"  Wait  and  let  us  see  if  Elijah  is  coming  to  take  him  down." 
But  Jesus,  giving  a  loud  cry,  expired.  The  Temple     37, 

curtain  was   torn   in    two  from  top  to  bottom.  The     39 

Roman  Officer,  who  was  standing  facing  Jesus,  on  seeing  the 
way  in  which  he  expired,  exclaimed  : 

"  This  man  must  indeed  have  been  '  God's  Son ' !  " 
There   were   some  women   also  watching  from   a   distance,     40 
among  them  being  Mary  of  Magdala,   Mary  the  mother  of 
James  the  Little  and  of  Joseph,  and  Salome — all  of  whom     41 
used  to  accompany  Jesus  when  he  was  in  Galilee,  and  attend 
on  him — besides  many  other  women  who  had  come  up  with 
him  to  Jerusalem. 

The  Burial        The  evening  had  already  fallen,  when,  as  it  was     42 
of  jesus.      the  Preparation  Day — the  day  before  the  Sabbath — 
Joseph  from  Ramah,  a  Councillor  of  good  position,  who  was     43 
himself  living  in  expectation  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  came  and 
ventured  to  go  in  to  see  Pilate,  and  to  ask  for  the  body  of  Jesus. 
But  Pilate  was  surprised  to  hear  that  he  had  already  died.     So     44 
he  sent  for  the  Officer,  and  asked  if  he  were  already  dead  ;  and,     45 
on  learning  from  the  Officer  that  it  was  so,  he  gave  the  corpse 

»  Ps.  a».  7.     34  Ps.  it.  i.    *»  Ps.  69.  ai.     »  Wi»d.  of  Sol.  a.  18, 


MARK,  15-16.  39 

to  Joseph.     Joseph,  having  bought  a  linen  sheet,  took  Jesus     46 
down,  and  wound  the  sheet  round  him,  and  laid  him  in  a  tomb 
which  had  been  cut  out  of  the  rock  ;  and  then  rolled  a  stone  up 
against  the  entrance  of  the  tomb.  Mary  of  Magdala    47 

and  Mary,  the  mother  of  Joseph,  were  watching  to  see  where 
he  was  laid. 


V. — THE  RISEN  LIFE  ANNOUNCED. 

The  When  the  Sabbath  was  over,  Mary  of  Magdala,     I 

Resurrection  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and  Salome  bought 

of  Jesus,     some  spices,  so  that  they  might  go  and  anoint 
the  body  of  Jesus.    And  very  early  on  the  first  day  of  the  week     2 
they  went  to  the  tomb,  after  sunrise.     They  were  saying  to    3 
one  another : 

"Who  will  roll  away  the  stone  for  us  from  the  entrance  of 
the  tomb  ?  " 

But,  on  looking  up,  they  saw  that  the  stone  had  already  been     4 
rolled  back ;  it  was  a  very  large  one.     Going  into  the  tomb,     5 
they  saw  a  young  man  sitting  on  their  right,  in  a  white  robe, 
and  they  were  dismayed.     But  he  said  to  them  :  6 

"Do   not  be   dismayed;   you   are   looking  for  Jesus,   the 
Nazarene,  who  has  been  crucified  ;   he  has  risen,  he  is  not 
here  !     Look  !     Here  is  the  place  where  they  laid  him.     But    7 
go,  and  say  to  his  disciples  and  to  Peter  '  He  is  going  before 
you  into  Galilee  ;   there  you  will  see  him,  as  he  told  you.'" 
They  went  out,  and  fled  from  the  tomb,  for  they  were  trembling     8 
and  bewildered  ;  and  they  did  not  say  a  word  to  any  one,  for 
they  were  frightened  ;******* 


A  LATE  APPENDIX. 
(Inserted  in  some  manuscripts  from  an  ancient  source). 

[After  his  rising  again,  early  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,     9 
Jesus  appeared  first  of  all  to  Mary  of  Magdala,  from  whom  he 
had  driven  out  seven  demons.     She  went  and  told  the  news  to     10 
those  who  had  been  with  him  and  who  were  now  in  sorrow  and 
tears  ;  yet  even  they,  when  they  heard  that  he  was  alive  and     1 1 
had  been  seen  by  her,  did  not  believe  it.  Afterwards,     12 

altered   in    appearance,  he  made  himself  known  to  two  of         , 
them,  as  they  were  walking,  on  their  way  into  the  country. 
They  also  went  and  told  the  rest,  but  they  did  not  believe     13 
even  them.  Later  on,  he  made  himself  known  to  the     14 

Eleven  themselves  as  they  were  at  a  meal,  and  reproached 
them  with  their  want  of  faith  and  their  stubbornness,  because 


40  MARK,  16. 

they  did  not  believe  those  who  had  seen  him  after  he  had  risen 
from  the  dead.     Then  he  said  to  them  :  15 

"  Go  into  all  the  world,  and  proclaim  the  Good  News  to  all 
creation.     He  who  believes  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;     16 
but  he  who   refuses   to  believe  will   be   condemned.     More-     17 
over  these  signs  shall  attend  those  who  believe.     In  my  Name 
they  shall  drive  out  demons ;    they  shall  speak  with  'tpngues' ; 
they  shall  take  up  serpents  in  their  hands  ;  and,  it  they  drink     18 
any  poison,  it  shall  not  hurt  them  ;  they  will  place  their  hands 
on  sick  people  and  they  shall  recover." 

So  the  Lord  Jesus,  after  he  had  spoken  to  them,  was  taken  up     19 
into  Heaven,  and  sat  at  the  right  hand  of  God.     But  they  set     20 
out,  and  made  the  proclamation  everywhere,  the  Lord  work- 
ing with  them,  and  confirming  the  Message  by  the  signs  which 
attended  it.] 


ANOTHER  APPENDIX. 

[But  all  that  had  been  enjoined  on  them  they  reported  briefly 
to  Peter  and  his  companions.  Afterwards  Jesus  him- 

self sent  out  by  them,  from  east   to  west,   the  sacred  and 
imperishable  proclamation  of  eternal  Salvation.] 

19  a  King's  a.  u  ;  Ps.  no.  i 


ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW. 


THE     GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 
ST.     MATTHEW. 


COMPILED    AT   AN    UNCERTAIN    DATE    LATER 
THAN    60    A.D. 


THIS  gospel^ in  common  with  the  'The  Gospel  according  to 
St.  Luke,'  incorporates  the  greater  part  of  the  record  of  the 
ministry  of  Jesus  given  in  '  The  Gospel  according  to  St.  Mark.'/ 
It  is  probable  that  the  compiler  was  able  to  make  use  of  the 
same  sources  as  St.  Mark  had  at  his  disposal,  and  perhaps 
even  of  St.  Mark's  gospel  itself.  Beyond  this,>  he  was  able 
to  add  tq  that  record  a  very  important  collection  of  the  Sayings 
of  Jesus?!  from  some  source  of  which  the  compiler  of  '  The  i 
Gospel  according  to  St.  Luke '  was  also  able  to  avail  himself.  / 
The  gospel,  in  its  present  form,  begins  with  a  preface  giving  an 
account  of  the  birth  of  Jesus,  and  concludes  with  an  appendix 
giving  an  account  of  his  resurrection,  j  These  are  evidently 
from  sources  other  than  those  from  which  the  body  of  the 
work  was  derived.) 

The  standpoint  of  the  compiler  of  this  gospel  is  clearly  that 
of  a  Jew  writing  primarily  for  converts  from  Judaism,  one 
marked  feature  being  the  prominence  given  to  the  fulfilment 
of  Jewish  prophecy. 


ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW. 


I. — THE  BIRTH,  PARENTAGE,  AND  INFANCY. 

A    Genealogy  of  fesus   Christ,   a   descendant  of  David  and    \    1 
A  braham. 

The          Abraham  was  the  father  of  Isaac,  2 

Ancestors  of  Isaac  of  Jacob, 

Jesus.       Jacob  of  Judah  and  his  brothers, 

Judah  of  Perez  and  Zerah,  whose  mother  was     3 

Tamar, 

Perez  of  Hezron, 
Hezron  of  Ram, 

Ram  of  Amminadab,  4 

Amminadab  of  Nashon, 
Nashon  of  Salmon, 

Salmon  of  Boaz,  whose  mother  was  Rahab,  5 

Boaz  of  Obed,  whose  mother  was  Ruth, 
Obed  of  Jesse, 
Jesse  of  David  the  King.  6 

David  was  the  father  of  Solomon,  whose  mother 

was  Uriah's  widow, 

Solomon  of  Rehoboam,  7 

Rehoboam  of  Abijah, 
Abijah  of  Asa, 

Asa  of  Jehoshaphat,  8 

Jehoshaphat  of  Jehoram, 
Jehoram  of  Uzziah, 

Uzziah  of  Jotham,  9 

Jotham  of  Ahaz, 
Ahaz  of  Hezekiah, 

Hezekiah  of  Manasseh,  10 

Manasseh  of  Ammon, 

1  Ps.  a.  a. 


44  MATTHEW,  1. 

Ammon  of  Josiah, 

Josiah  of  Jeconiah  and  his  brothers,  at  the  time     II 
of  the  Exile  to  Babylon. 

After  the  Exile  to  Babylon —  12 

Jeconiah  was  the  father  of  Shealtiel, 
Shealtiel  of  Zerubbabel, 

Zerubbabel  of  Abiud,  13 

Abiud  of  Eliakim, 
Eliakim  of  Azor, 

Azor  of  Zadok,  14 

Zadok  of  Achim, 
Achim  of  Eliud, 

Eliud  of  Eleazar,  15 

Eleazar  of  Matthan, 
Matthan  of  Jacob, 
Jacob   of  Joseph,    the   husband   of  Mary,    who     16 

was   the    mother  of  Jesus,   who    is  called 

'  Christ '. 


So  the  whole  number  of  generations  from  Abraham  to  David     17 
is  fourteen  ;  from  David  to  the  Exile  to  Babylon  fourteen  ;  and 
from  the  Exile  to  Babylon  to  the  Christ  fourteen. 


The  The  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  took  place  as  follows: —     18 

Birth  or  His  mother  Mary  was  betrothed  to  Joseph,  but, 
jesus.  before  the  marriage  took  place,  she  found  herself 
to  be  with  child  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Her  husband,  19 
Joseph,  was  a  religious  man  and,  being  unwilling  to  expose 
her  to  contempt,  resolved  to  put  an  end  to  their  betrothal 
privately.  He  had  been  dwelling  upon  this,  when  an  20 

angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream. 

"Joseph,  son  of  David,"  the  angel  said,  "do  not  be  afraid  to 
take  Mary  for  your  wife,  for  her  child  has  been  conceived  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.      She  shall  give  birth  to  a  son  ;     21 
and  you  shall  give  him  the  name  Jesus,  for  it  is  he  who  shall 
save  his  people  from  their  sins." 

All  this  happened  in  fulfilment  of  these  words  of  the  Lord  in     22 
the  Prophet,  where  he  says — 

'  Behold !  the  virgin  shall  be  with  child  and  shall  give  birth  to  a  son,      23 
And  they  will  give  him  the  name  Immanuel ' 

— a  word  which  means  '  God  is  with  us.'  When  Joseph     24 

awoke  from  his  sleep,  he  did  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had 

23  Isa.  7. 14. 


MATTHEW,  1—2.  45 

directed  him.     He  made  Mary  his  wife,  but  did  not  live  with     25 
her  as  her  husband  until  after  the  birth  of  her  son ;  and  to  this 
son  he  gave  the  name  Jesus. 


The  visit         After  the  birth  of  Jesus  at  Bethlehem  in  Judaea,     i 

of  the        in  the  reign  of  King  Herod,  some  Astrologers 
Astrologers.  frOm  the  East  arrived  in  Jerusalem,  asking  :  2 

"Where  is  the  new-born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  for  we  saw  his 
star  in  the  east,  and  have  come  to  do  homage  to  him." 
When  King  Herod  heard  of  this,  he  was  much  troubled,  and     3 
so,  too,  was  all  Jerusalem.     He  called  together  all  the  Chief    4 
Priests  and  Teachers  of  the  Law  in  the  nation,  and  questioned 
them  as  to  where  the  Christ  was  to  be  born. 

"At  Bethlehem  in  Judaea,"  was  their  answer  ;  "  fbr  it  is  said     5 
in  the  Prophet — 

4  And  thou,  Bethlehem  in  Judah's  land,  .         6 

Art  in  no  way  least  among  the  chief  cities  of  Judah  ; 
For  out  of  thee  will  come  a  Chieftain — 

One  who  will  shepherd  my  people  Israel.' " 

Then  Herod  secretly  sent  for  the  Astrologers,  and  ascertained     7 
from  them  the  date  of  the  appearance  of  the  star ;  and,  sending     8 
them  to  Bethlehem,  he  said  :    "  Go  and  make  careful  inquiries 
about  the  child,  and,  as  soon  as  you  have  found  him,  bring  me 
word,  that  I,  too,  may  go  and  do  homage  to  him." 
The  Astrologers  heard  what  the  King  had  to  say,  and  then     9 
continued  their  journey.     And  the  star  which  they  had  seen  in 
the  east  led  them  on,  until  it  reached,  and  stood  over,  the 
place  where   the  child  was.     At  the  sight  of  the  star  they     10 
were  filled  with  joy.     Entering  the  house,  they  saw  the  child     n 
with  his  mother  Mary,  and  fell  at  his  feet  and  did  homage 
to  him.     Then  they  unpacked  their  treasures,  and  offered  to 
the  child  presents  of  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh.     But     12 
afterwards,  having  been  warned  in  a  dream  not  to  go  back 
to  Herod,  they  returned  to  their  own  country  by  another  road. 

The  Flight        After  they   had   left,    an   angel   of    the    Lord     13 
into  Egypt,    appeared  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  and  said  : 

"Awake,  take  the  child  and  his  mother,  and  seek  refuge  in 
Egypt ;  and  stay  there  until  I  bid  you  return,  for  Herod  is 
about  to  search  for  the  child,  to  put  him  to  death." 
Joseph   awoke,    and,  taking    the   child   and    his   mother    by     14 
night,  went  into  Egypt,  and  there  he  stayed  until  Herod's     15 
death  ;  in  fulfilment  of  these  words  of  the  Lord  in  the  Prophet, 
where  he  says — 

'  Out  of  Egypt  I  called  my  Son.' 

When  Herod  found  that  he  had  been  trifled  with  by  the     16 
Astrologers,  he  was  very  angry.     He  sent  and  put  to  death  all 

6  Mic.  5.  a.     16  Hos.  ii.  i. 


46  MATTHEW,  2-3. 

the  boys  in  Bethlehem  and  the  whole  of  that  neighbourhood, 
who  were  two  years  old  or  under,  guided  by  the  date  which  he 
had  ascertained  from  the  Astrologers.  Then  were  ful-  17 

filled  these  words  spoken  in  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,  where  he 
says — 

'A  voice  was  heard  in  Ramah,  18 

Weeping"  and  much  lamentation  ; 
Rachel,  weeping  for  her  children, 

Refused  all  comfort  because  they  were  not.' 

But,  on  the  death  of  Herod,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared     19 
in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt,  and  said  : 

"Awake,  take  the  child  and  his  mother,  and  go  into  the     20 
Land  of  Israel,  for  those  who  sought  to  take  the  child's  life  are 
dead." 

And  he  awoke,  and,  taking  the  child  and  his  mother,  went  into     21 
the  Land  of  Israel.    But,  hearing  that  Archelaus  had  succeeded     22 
his  father  Herod  as  King  of  Judaea,  he  was  afraid  to  go  back 
there  ;  and,  having  been  warned  in  a  dream,  he  went  into  the 
part  of  the  country  called  Galilee.     And  there  he  settled  in  the     23 
town  of  Nazareth,  in  fulfilment  of  these  words  in  the  Prophets — 
'  He  will  be  called  a  Nazarene.' 


II. — THE  PREPARATION. 

The  Baptist       About  that  time  John  the  Baptist  first  appeared,     i 
and  hi*      proclaiming  in  the  Wilderness  of  Judaea  : 
Message.          «<  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at     2 
hand." 

This  is  he  who  was  spoken  of  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  where     3 
he  says — 

'  The  voice  of  one  crying  aloud  in  the  Wilderness : 
"  Make  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
Make  his  paths  straight."' 

John  wore  clothing  made  of  camels'  hair,  with  a  belt  of    4 
leather  round  his  waist,  and  his  food  was  locusts  and  wild 
honey.  At  that  time  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judaea,  as    5 

well  as  the  whole  district  of  the  Jordan,  went  out  to  him  and     6 
were  baptized  by  him  in  the  river  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins. 

When,    however,   John   saw   many  of  the  Pharisees   and     7 
Sadducees  coming  to  receive  his  baptism,  he  said  to  them  : 

"You   brood  of  vipers!   Who  has  prompted  you  to  seek 
refuge   from  the  coming  judgement?     Let  your  life,   then,     8 

18  Jcr.  31.  15.     -•"  Exod.  4.  19.     -  Dan.  a.  44.     8  Isa.  40.  3.    *  a  Kings  i.  8. 


MATTHEW,  3-4.  47 

prove  your  repentance  ;  and  do  not  think  that  you  can  say     9 
among  yourselves  'Abraham  is  our  ancestor,'  for  I  tell  you 
that  out  of  these  very  stones  God  is  able  to  raise  descendants 
for  Abraham  !      Already  the  axe  is  lying  at  the  root  of  the     10 
trees.     Therefore  every  tree  that  fails  to  bear  good  fruit  will 
be  cut  down  and  thrown  into  the  fire.     I,  indeed,  baptize  you     1 1 
with  water  to  teach  repentance  ;  but  He  who  is  Coming  after 
me  is  more  powerful  than  I,  and  I  am  not  fit  even  to  carry  his 
sandals.     He  will  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with 
fire.     His  winnowing-fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  clear  his     12 
threshing-floor,  and  store  his  grain  in  the  barn,  but  the  chaff 
he  will  burn  with  inextinguishable  fire." 

The  Then  Jesus  came  from  Galilee  to  the  Jordan,     13 

Baptism  of   to  John,  to  be  baptized  by  him.     But  John  tried     14 
Jesus.        t0  prevent  him. 

"It  is  I,"  he  said,  "who  need  to  be  baptized  by  you  ;  why 
then  do  you  come  to  me  ?  " 

"Let  it  be  so  for  the  present,"  Jesus  answered,   "since     15 
it  is  fitting  for  us  thus  to  satisfy  every  claim  of  religion." 
Upon  this,  John  consented.      After  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  and     16 
just  as  he  came  up  from  the  water,  the  heavens  opened,  and  he 
saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending,  like  a  dove,  and  alighting 
upon  him,  and  from  the  heavens  there  came  a  voice  which     17 
said  : 

"This  is  my  Son,  the  Beloved,  in  whom  I  delight." 

The  Then  Jesus  was  led  up  into  the  Wilderness  by  the     i 

Temptation   Spirit  to  be  tempted  by  the  Devil.     And,  after  he     2 

of  Jesus.      iiatj   fasted   for  forty  days  and   forty  nights,  he 
became  hungry.  And  the  Tempter  came  to  him,  and     3 

said  : 

"  If  you  are  God's  Son,  tell  these  stones  to  become  loaves  of 
bread." 
But  Jesus  answered  :  "  Scripture  says —  4 

'  It  is  not  on  bread  alone  that  man  is  to  live,  but  on  every 
word  that  comes  from  the  mouth  of  God.'" 

Then  the  Devil  took  him  to  the  Holy  City,  and,  placing  him  on     5 
the  parapet  of  the  temple,  said  to  him  :  6 

"If  you  are  God's  Son,  throw  yourself  down,  for  Scripture 
says — 

'  He  will  give  his  angels  commands  about  thee, 
And  on  their  hands  they  will  upbear  thee, 

Lest  ever  thou  should'st  strike  thy  foot  against  a  stone.'  " 

"  Scripture  also  says,"  answered  Jesus,  7 

"  '  Thou  shall  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God.'" 

»  Ps.  118.  26.     17  ps.  2.  7  ;  Isa.  42.  i.     »Ps.  2.  7.     4Deut.  8.  3.     6  Ps.  91.  11—12. 
7  Deut.  6.  16. 


48  MATTHEW,  4. 

The  third  time,  the  Devil  took  Jesus  to  a  very  high  moun- 
tain, and,  showing  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  their 
splendour,  said  to  him  : 

"  All  these  I  will  give  you,  if  you  will  fall  at  my  feet  and 
do  homage  to  me." 
Then  Jesus  said  to  him  : 

"Begone,  Satan  !  for  Scripture  says — 

'  Thou  shalt  do  homage  to  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  worship 
him  only.' " 

Then  the  Devil  left  him  alone,  and  angels  came  and  min- 
istered to  him. 


III. — THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE. 

jeaus  settles  When  Jesus  heard  that  John  had  been  com- 
at  mitted  to  prison,  he  retired  to  Galilee.  After- 

Capernaum.  wards,  leaving  Nazareth,  he  went  and  settled  at 
Capernaum,  which  is  by  the  side  of  the  Sea,  within  the  borders 
of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali  ;  in  fulfilment  of  these  words  in  the 
Prophet  Isaiah — 

'  The  land  of  Zebulun  and  the  land  of  Naphtali, 
The  land  of  the  Road  by  the  Sea,  and  beyond  the  Jordan, 

With  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles — 
The  people  who  were  dwelling  in  darkness 

Have  seen  a  great  Light, 
And,  for  those  who  were  dwelling  in  the  shadow-land  of  Death, 

A  Light  has  risen  ! ' 


At  that  time  Jesus  began  to  proclaim — 

J*hi1*wo*l?k.n*      "  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at 
hand." 

The  first         As  Jesus  was  walking  along  the  shore  of  the 
Disoipies.     Sea  of  Galilee,   he   saw    two    brothers — Simon, 
also  known  as  Peter,  and  his  brother  Andrew — casting  a  net 
into  the  Sea  ;  for  they  were  fishermen. 

"Come  and  follow  me,"  Jesus  said,  "and  I  will  set  you  to 
fish  for  men." 

The  two  men  left  their  nets  at  once  and  followed  him.  Going 
further  on,  he  saw  two  other  men  who  were  also  brothers, 
James,  Zebediah's  son,  and  his  brother  John,  in  their  boat 
with  their  father;  mending  their  nets.  Jesus  called  them, 

10  Deut.  6.  13.     M-16  Isa.  9.  i— a. 


MATTHEW,  4-5.  49 

and  they  at  once  left  their  boat  and  their  father,  and  followed     22 
him. 

Jesus  And  Jesus  went  all  through  Galilee,  teaching     23 

preaches     in    their    Synagogues,    proclaiming    the    Good 
in  Gaiiiee.     News  of  the  Kingdom,  and  curing  every  kind 
of  diseasa  and  every  kind  of  sickness   among  the   people  ; 
and   his   fame    spread    all    through    Syria.      They    brought     24 
to  him  all  who  were  ill  with  any  form  of  disease,  or  who  were 
suffering  pain — any  who  were  either  possessed  by  demons, 
or  were  lunatic,  or  paralyzed  ;  and  he  cured  them.     And  he     25 
was  followed  by  large  crowds  from  Galilee,  the  district  of  the 
Ten  Towns,  Jerusalem,  Judaea,  and  from  beyond  the  Jordan. 

On  seeing  the  crowds  of  people,  Jesus  went  up     i 

the  hill ;  and,  when  he  had  taken  his  seat,  his 

j*     •   i  1  •  111 

disciples  came  up  to  him  ;  and  he  began  to  teach     2 

them  as  follows  : 
The  Happy.        "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the     3 
Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

Blessed  are  the  mourners,  for  they  shall  be  comforted.  4 

Blessed  are  the  gentle,  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  5 

Blessed  are  those  who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteousness,  for     6 

they  shall  be  satisfied. 

Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  find  mercy.  7 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God.  8 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  Sons  of    9 

God. 
Blessed  are  those  who  have  been  persecuted  in  the  cause  of     10 

righteousness,  for  theirs  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
Blessed  are  you  when  people  taunt  you,  and  persecute  you,     n 
and  say  everything  evil  about  you — untruly,  and  on  my  ac- 
count.    Be  glad  and  rejoice,  because  your  reward  in  Heaven     12 
will  be  great ;  for  so  men  persecuted  the  Prophets  who  lived 
before  you. 

A  real  ^  *S  y°U  W^°  arg  ^e  ^3^  °^  ^e  earth  5    t)Ut,  if      13 

Disciple  of    the  salt  should  lose  its  strength,  what  will  you 
Jesus.        use  to  restore  its  saltness  ?     It  is  no  longer  good 
for  anything,  but  is  thrown  away,  and  trampled  underfoot. 
It  is  you  who  are  the  Light  of  the  world.     A  town  that  stands     14 
Lesson  from  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hidden.      Men  do  not  light     15 

a.  Lamp.      a  lamp  and  put  it  under  the  corn-measure,  but 
on  the  lamp-stand,  where  it  gives  light  to  every  one  in  the 
house.     Let  your  light  so  shine  before  the  eyes  of  your  fellow-     16 
men,  that,  seeing  your  good  actions,  they  may  praise  your 
Father  who  is  in  Heaven. 

The  old  Law        Do  not  think  that  I  have  come  to  do  a*vay  with     17 
and  the  new—  the  Law  or  the  Prophets  ;  I  have  not  come  to  do 
away  with  them,  but  to  complete  them.     For  I  tell  you,     18 

3  Jsa.  61.  i.     *  Isa.  $i.  3.     *  Ps.  37.  n.     8  ps.  34.  4. 


50  MATTHEW,  5. 

until  the  heavens  and  the  earth  disappear,  not  even  the  smallest 
letter,  nor  one  stroke  of  a  letter,  shall  disappear  from  the  Law 
until  all  is  done.  Whoever,  therefore,  breaks  one  of  these 
commandments,  even  the  least  of  them,  and  teaches  others  to 
do  so,  will  be  the  least-esteemed  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ; 
but  whoever  keeps  them,  and  teaches  others  to  do  so,  will  be 
esteemed  great  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Indeed  I  tell  you 
that,  unless  your  religion  is  above  that  of  the  Teachers  of  the 
Law,  and  Pharisees,  you  will  never  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven. 

on  You  have  heard  that  to  our  ancestors  it  was 

Anger,          said — 

'  Thou  shall  not  commit  murder,' 
and 

'  Whoever  commits  murder  shall  be  liable  to  answer  for  it  to 
the  Court.' 

I ,  however,  say  to  you  that  any  one  wTio  cherishes  anger  against 
his  brother  shall  be  liable  to  answer  for  it  to  the  Court ;  and 
whoever  pours  contempt  upon  his  brother  shall  be  liable 
to  answer  for  it  to  the  High  Council,  while  whoever  calls  down 
curses  upon  him  shall  be  liable  to  answer  for  it  in  the  fiery 
Pit.  Therefore,  when  presenting  your  gift  at  the  altar,  if 
even  there  you  remember  that  your  brother  has  some  grievance 
against  you,  leave  your  gift  there,  before  the  altar,  go  and 
be  reconciled  to  your  brother  first,  then  come  and  present 
your  gift.  Be  ready  to  make  friends  with  your  opponent,  even 
when  you  meet  him  on  your  way  to  the  court  ;  for  fear  that  he 
should  hand  you  over  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  to  his  officer, 
and  you  should  be  thrown  into  prison.  I  tell  you,  you  will 
not  come  out  until  you  have  paid  the  last  penny. 
You  have  heard  that  it  was  said — 

on 
Impurity,  <  xhou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.' 

I,  however,  say  to  you  that  any  one  who  looks  at  a  woman  with 
an  impure  intention  has  already  committed  adultery  with  her  in 
his  heart.  If  your  right  eye  is  a  snare  to  you,  take  it  out  and 
throw  it  away.  It  would  be  best  for  you  to  lose  one  part  of 
your  body,  and  not  to  have  the  whole  of  it  thrown  into  the  Pit. 
And,  if  your  right  hand  is  a  snare  to  you,  cut  it  off  and  throw 
it  away.  It  would  be  best  for  you  to  lose  one  part  of  your 
body,  and  not  to  have  the  whole  of  it  go  down  to  the  Pit. 
on  It  was  also  said — 

'  Let  any  one   who   divorces   his  wife  serve 
her  with  a  notice  of  separation.' 

I,  however,  say  to  you  that  any  one  who  divorces  his  wife, 
except    on    the    ground    of   her    unchastity,    leads    to   her 

1  Exod.  ao.  13  ;  Enoch  27.  2 ;  90.  26,  27.    27  Exod.  to.  14.      3l  Deut.  24.  3. 


MATTHEW,  5-6.  51 

committing  adultery  ;  while  any  one  who  marries  her  after  her 
divorce  is  guilty  of  adultery. 

on  Again,  you  have  heard  that  to  our  ancestors  it    33 

oaths,       was  said — 

'  Thou  shalt  not  break  an  oath,  but  thou  shalt  keep  thine 
oaths  as  a  debt  due  to  the  Lord.' 

I,  however,  say  to  you  that  you  must  not  swear  at  all,  either     34 
by  Heaven,  since  that  is  God's  throne,  or  by  the  earth,  since     35 
that  is  his  footstool,  or  by  Jerusalem,  since  that  is  the  city  of 
the  Great  King.    Nor  should  you  swear  by  your  head,  since  you     36 
cannot  make  a  single  hair  either  white  or  black.-    Let  your     37 
words    be    simply    '  Yes '   or    '  No '  ;    anything    beyond    this 
comes  from  what  is  wrong. 

on  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said —  38 

Revenge,  ,  ^  gye  fQf  afl  e^Q  &n£j  &  tooth  for  a  tooth.' 

I,  however,  say  to  you  that  you  must  not  resist  wrong  ;   but,     39 
if  any  one  strikes  you  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  the  other  to 
him  also  ;   and,  when  any  one  wants  to  go  to  law  with  you,     40 
to  take  your  coat,  let  him  have  your  cloak  as  well ;   and,  if    41 
any  one  compels  you  to  go  one  mile,  go  two  miles  with  him. 
Give  to  him  who  asks  of  you  ;  and,  from  him  who  wants  to     42 
borrow  from  you,  do  not  turn  away. 

You  have  heard  that  it  was  said —  4? 

on  '° 

Love.  *  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  and  hate  thy 

enemy.' 

I,  however,  say  to  you — Love  your  enemies,  and  pray  for  those    44 
who  persecute  you,  that  you  may  become  Sons  of  your  Father    45 
who  is  in  Heaven  ;  for  he  causes  his  sun  to  rise  upon  bad 
and  good  alike,  and  sends  rain  upon  the  righteous  and  upon 
the  unrighteous.    For,  if  you  love  only  those  who  love  you,  what    46 
reward  will  you  have  ?  Even  the  tax-gatherers  do  this  !    And,     47 
if  you  show  courtesy  to  your  brothers  only,  what  are  you  doing 
more  than  others  ?    Even  the  Gentiles  do  this  !  You,     48 

then,  must  become  perfect — as  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect. 

About  Take  care  not  to  perform  your  religious  duties     i 

Giving.        in  public  in  order  to  be  seen  by  others  ;  if  you  do, 
your  Father  who  is  in  Heaven  has  no  reward  for  you. 

Therefore,   when   you   do  acts  of  charity,  do  not  have  a     2 
trumpet  blown  in  front  of  you,  as  hypocrites  do  in  the  Syna- 
gogues and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  praised  by  others. 
There,  I  tell  you,  is  their  reward  !     But,  when  you  do  acts  of    3 
charity,  do  not  let  your  left  hand  know  what  your  right  hand 
is  doing,  so  that  your  charity  may  be  secret ;  and  your  Father,     4 
who  sees  what  is  in  secret,  will  recompense  you. 

33  Num.  30.  2;   Deut.  23.  21.     **  Isa.  66.   i.     38  ps.  48.  2.     38  Exod.  21.  24. 
«  Lev.  19.  18.     «  Deut.  18.  13. 


52  MATTHEW,  6. 

About  And,  when  you  pray,  you  are  not  to  behave  as     5 

Praymg.  hypocrites  do.  They  like  to  pray  standing  in  the 
Synagogues  and  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may 
be  seen  by  men.  There,  I  tell  you,  is  their  reward  !  But,  when  6 
one  of  you  prays,  let  him  go  into  his  own  room,  shut  the  door, 
and  pray  to  his  Father  who  dwells  in  secret ;  and  his  Father, 
who  sees  what  is  secret,  will  recompense  him.  When  7 

praying,  do  not  repeat  the  same  words  over  and  over  again,  as  is 
done  by  the  Gentiles,  who  think  that  by  using  many  words  they 
will  obtain  a  hearing.      Do  not  imitate  them  ;    for  God,  your    8 
Father,  knows  what  you  need  before  you  ask  him.  You,     9 

therefore,  should  pray  thus — 
The 'Lord's    'Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven, 
Prayer.'  May  thy  name  be  held  holy, 

thy  Kingdom  come,  10 

thy  will  be  done — 

on  earth,  as  in  Heaven. 
Give  us  to-day  1 1 

the  bread  that  we  shall  need  ; 
And  forgive  us  our  wrong-doings,  12 

as  we  have  forgiven  those  who  have 

wronged  us  ; 
And  take  us  not  into  temptation,  13 

but  deliver  us  from  Evil.' 

For,  if  you  forgive  others  their  offences,  your  heavenly  Father  14 
will  forgive  you  also  ;  but,  if  you  do  not  forgive  others  their  15 
offences,  not  even  your  Father  will  forgive  your  offences. 

About  And,  when  you  fast,  do  not  put  on  gloomy  looks,     16 

Fasting,      as  hypocrites  do  who  disfigure  their  faces  that 
they  may  be  seen  by  men  to  be  fasting.     That,  I  tell  you,  is 
their  reward  !    But,  when  one  of  you  fasts,  let  him  anoint  his     17 
head  and  wash  his  face,  that  he  may  not  be  seen  by  men  to  be     18 
fasting,  but  by  his  Father  who  dwells  in  secret ;  and  his  Father, 
who  sees  what  is  secret,  will  recompense  him. 

The  true          Do  not  store  up  treasures  for  yourselves  on     19 
Treasure,     earth,  where  moth  and  rust  destroy,  and  where 
thieves  break  in  and  steal.     But  store  up  treasures  for  yourselves     20 
in  Heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  destroys,  and  where 
thieves  do  not  break  in  or  steal.     For  where  your  treasure  is,     21 
there  will  your  heart  be  also.  The  lamp  of  the  body  is     22 

Light  ana     the  eye.    If  your  eye  is  unclouded,  your  whole  body 
Darkness,     will  be  lit  up  ;  but,  if  your  eye  is  diseased,  your     23 
whole  body  will  be  darkened.  And,  if  the  inner  light  is  darkness, 
how  intense  must  that  darkness  be  !  No  one  can  serve     24 

True         two  masters,  for  either  he  will  hate  one  and  love  the 
service,      other,  or  else  he  will  attach  himself  to  one  and 
despise  the  other.     You  cannot  serve  both  GoJ  and  Money. 

•  Isa.  »6.  ao ;  a  Kings  4.  33. 


MATTHEW,  6—7.  53 

The  Cares     That  is  why  I  say  to  you,  Do  not  be  anxious     25 

or  Life.       about  your  life  here — what  you  can  get  to  eat 
or  drink  ;    nor  yet  about  your  body — what  you  can  get  to 
wear.      Is  not  life  more  than  food,   and  the  body  than  its 
clothing?     Look  at  the  wild   birds — they  neither  sow,   nor     26 
reap,  nor  gather  into  barns  ;   and  yet  your  heavenly  Father 
feeds  them  !     And  are  not  you   more   precious   than   they  ? 
But    which     of     you,     by    being     anxious,     can     prolong     27 
his    life    a    single    moment?      And   why  be    anxious   about    28 
clothing  ?     Study  the  wild  lilies,  and  how  they  grow.     They 
neither  toil  nor  spin  ;    yet  I  tell  you  that  even   Solomon  in     29 
all  his  splendour  was  not  robed  like  one  of  these.     If  God     30 
so  clothes  even  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  is  living  to-day 
and  to-morrow  will  be  thrown  into  the  oven,  will  not  he  much 
more  clothe  you,  O  men  of  little  faith  ?      Do  not  then  ask     31 
anxiously  '  What  can  we  get  to  eat  ?  '  or  '  What  can  we  get  to 
drink  ?  '  or  '  What  can  we  get  to  wear  ? '     All  these  are  the     32 
things  for  which  the  nations  are  seeking,  and  your  heavenly 
Father  knows  that  you  need  them  all.      But  first  seek  his     33 
Kingdom  and  the  righteousness  that  he  requires,  and  then  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  for  you.      Therefore  do  not  be    34 
anxious  about  to-morrow,  for  to-morrow  will  bring  its  own 
anxieties.      Every  day  has  trouble  enough  of  its  own. 

On       .       Do  not  judge,  that  you  may  not  be  judged,     i 
judging      For,  just  as  you  judge  others,  you  will  yourselves     2 
others.       be  judged,  and  the  measure  that  you  mete  will 
be  meted  out  to  you.    And  why  do  you  look  at  the  straw  in     3 
your  brother's  eye,  while  you  pay  no  attention  at  all  to  the 
beam  in  yours  ?      How  will  you  say  to  your  brother  '  Let  me    4 
take  out  the  straw  from  your  eye,'  when  all  the  time  there  is 
a  beam  in  your  own  ?     Hypocrite  !     Take  out  the  beam  from     5 
your  own  eye  first,  and  then  you  will  see  clearly  how  to  take 
out  the  straw  from  your  brother's.  Do  not  give  what    6 

is  sacred  to  dogs  ;  nor  yet  thrftw  your  pearls  before  pigs, 
lest  they  should  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  then 
turn  and  attack  you.  Ask,  and  your  prayer  shall  7 

Encourage-  ^e  granted  ;  search,  and  you  shall  find  ;  knock, 

ment        and    the  door   shall    be    opened    to  you.       For    8 
to  Prayer.     he  that   asks    receives,  he   that  searches  finds, 
and  to  him  that  knocks  the  door  shall   be   opened.      Who     9 
among  you,   when  his  son  asks   him   for  a   loaf,  will   give 
him  a  stone,  or  when  he  asks  for  a  fish,  will  give  him  a     10 
snake?      If    you,    then,    wicked    though    you    are,    know     n 
how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how  much  more 
will  your  Father  who  is  in   Heaven  give  what  is  good  to 

The         those  that  ask  him  !  Do  to  others  what-     12 

Golden  Rule,  ever  you  would  wish  them  to  do  to  you  ;  for  that 
is  the  teaching  of  both  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 


54  MATTHEW,  7-8. 

The  Go  in  by  the  small  gate.     Broad  and  spacious 

two  Roads,   is  the  road  that  leads  to  destruction,  and  those 

that  go  in  by  it  are  many  ;   for  small  is  the  gate,  and  narrow 

the    road,   that   leads    to    Life,  and    those   that  find   it   are 

few. 

True  and  false  Beware  of  false  Teachers— men  who  come  to 
Teachers,  you  in  the  guise  of  sheep,  but  at  heart  they 
are  ravenous  wolves.  By  the  fruit  of  their  lives  you 
will  know  them.  Do  people  gather  grapes  from  thorn- 
bushes,  or  figs  from  thistles  ?  So,  too,  every  sound  tree 
bears  good  fruit,  while  a  worthless  tree  bears  bad  fruit.  A 
sound  tree  cannot  produce  bad  fruit,  nor  can  a  worthless 
tree  bear  good  fruit.  Every  tree  that  fails  to  bear  good  fruit 
is  cut  down  and  thrown  into  the  fire.  Hence  it  is  by  the 
fruit  of  their  lives  that  you  will  know  such  men.  Not 

every  one  who  says  to  me  '  Master !  Master ! '  will  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but  only  he  who  does  the  will  of  my 
Father  who  is  in  Heaven.  On  '  That  Day '  many  will  say  to 
me  '  Master,  Master,  was  not  it  in  your  name  that  we  taught, 
and  in  your  name  that  we  drove  out  demons,  and  in  your 
name  that  we  did  many  miracles  ? '  And  then  I  shall  say  to 
them  plainly  '  I  never  knew  you.  Go  from  my  presence,  you 
who  live  in  sin.' 

The  two  Every  one,  therefore,  that  listens  to  this  teaching 
Foundations,  of  mine  and  acts  upon  it  may  be  compared  to  a 
prudent  man,  who  built  his  house  upon  the  rock.  The  rain 
poured  down,  the  rivers  rose,  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that 
house,  but  It  did  not  fall,  for  its  foundations  were  upon  the 
rock.  And  every  one  that  listens  to  this  teaching  of 

mine  and  does  not  act  upon  it  may  be  compared  to  a  foolish 
man,  who  built  his  house  on  the  sand.  The  rain  poured  down, 
.the  rivers  rose,  the  winds  blew  and  struck  against  that  house, 
and  it  fell ;  and  great  was  its  downfall." 

By  the  time  that  Jesus  had  finished  speaking,  the  crowd  was 
filled  with  amazement  at  his  teaching.  For  he  taught  th  in  like 
one  who  had  authority,  and  not  like  their  Teachers  of  the  Law. 


Cure  When  Jesus  had  come  down  from  the  hill,  great     i 

of  o.  L«p«r.   crowds  followed  him.  And  he  saw  a  leper     2 

who  came  up,  and  bowed  to  the  ground  before  him,  and  said  : 
"  Master,  if  only  you  are  willing,  you  are  able  to  make  me 
clean." 

Stretching  out  his  hand,  Jesus  touched  him,  saying  as  he  did    3 
so : 

"  I  am  willing  ;  become  clean." 

MI»a.  a.  n.      2=  Ps.  6.  8. 


MATTHEW,  8.  55 

Instantly  he  was  made  clean  from  his  leprosy  ;  and  then  Jesus    4 
said  to  him : 

"  Be  careful  not  to  say  a  word  to  any  one,  but  go  and  show 
yourself  to  the  Priest,  and  offer  the  gift  directed  by  Moses, 
as  evidence  of  your  cure." 

After  Jesus  had  entered  Capernaum,  a  Captain     5 
an  officer's    in  the  Roman  army  came  up  to  him,  entreating 

Servant.        nis  help. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "my  manservant  is  lying  ill  at  my  house    6 
with  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  and  is  suffering  terribly." 

"  I  will  come  and  cure  him,"  answered  Jesus.  7 

"  Sir,"  the  Captain  went  on,  "  I  am  unworthy  to  receive  you     8 
under  my  roof ;    but  only  speak,  and  my  manservant  will  be 
cured.     For  I  myself  am  a  man  under  the  orders  of  others,     9 
with  soldiers  under  me  ;  and,  if  I  say  to  one  of  them  '  Go,'  he 
goes,  and  to  another  '  Come,'  he  comes,  and  to  my  slave  '  Do 
this,'  he  does  it." 

Jesus  was  surprised  to  hear  this,  and  said  to  those  who  were     10 
following  him  : 

"Never,  I  tell  you,  in  any  Israelite  have  I  met  with  such 
faith  as  this !  Yes,  and  many  will  come  in  from  Sast  and  West     1 1 
and  take  their  places  beside  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ;  while  the  heirs  to  the  Kingdom  will     12 
be  '  banished   into  the   darkness '  outside  ;  there,  there  will 
be  weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth." 
Then  Jesus  said  to  the  Captain  :  13 

"  Go  now,  and  it  shall  be  according  to  your  faith." 
And  the  man  was  cured  that  very  hour. 

When  Jesus  went  into  Peter's  house,  he  saw     14 

of  Peter1        Peter's  mother-in-law  prostrated  with  fever.    On     1 5 
Mother-in. Law  his  taking  her  hand,  the  fever  left  her,  and  she 
and  of  many  rose  and  began  to  wait  upon  him. 

In  the  evening  the  people  brought  to  Jesus  many     16 
who  were  possessed  by  demons  ;  and  he  drove  out  the  spirits 
with  a  word,  and  cured  all  who  were  ill,  in  fulfilment  of  these     17 
words  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah — 

'  He  took  our  infirmities  on  himself,  and  bore  the  burden  of 
our  diseases.' 

Tests  or         Seeing  a  crowd  round  him,  Jesus  gave  orders     18 

Sincerity.       to  gO  acrOSS. 

And  a  Teacher  of  the  Law  came  up  to  him,  and  said  :  19 

"  Teacher,  I  will  follow  you  wherever  you  go." 

"  Foxes  have  holes,"  answered  Jesus,  "  and  wild  birds  their    20 
roosting-places,  but  the  Son  of  Man  has  nowhere  to  lay  his 
head." 

' '  Master,"  said  another,  who  was  a  disciple,  "  let  me  first  go    21 
and  bury  my  father." 

4  Lev.  13.  49.    11  Mai.  i.  n.    l-  Enoch  10.  4.    W  Isa.  53.  4.    2°  Dan.  7.  13. 


56  MATTHEW,  8-9. 

But  Jesus  answered  :  22 

"  Follow  me,  and  leave  the  dead  to  bury  their  dead." 
jesus  stiiis       Then  he  got  into  the  boat,  followed  by  his  dis-     23 

a  storm,      ciples.     Suddenly  so  great  a  storm  came  on  upon     24 
the  Sea,  that  the  waves  broke  right  over  the  boat.     But  Jesus 
was  asleep  ;  and  the  disciples  came  and  roused  him.  25 

"  Master,"  they  cried,  "  save  us  ;  we  are  lost !  " 

"Why  are   you   so   timid?"   he   said.     "O   men  of  little     26 
faith!"" 

Then  Jesus  rose  and  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  sea,  and  a 
great  calm  followed.  The  men  were  amazed,  and  27 

exclaimed  : 

"  What  kind  of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the  sea 
obey  him !  " 
cure  of  two       And  on  getting  to  the  other  side — the  country     28 

Madmen,     of  the  Gadarenes — Jesus  met  two  men  who  were 
possessed  by  demons,  coming  out  of  the  tombs.     They  were 
so  violent  that  no  one  was  able  to  pass  that  way.     Suddenly     29 
they  shrieked  out  : 

"  What  do  you  want  with  us,  Son  of  God  ?     Have  you  come 
here  to  torment  us  before  our  time  ?  " 

A  long  way  off,  there  was  a  drove  of  many  pigs,  feeding  ;  and     30,  3 
the  foul  spirits  began  begging  Jesus': 

"  If  you  drive  us  out,  send  us  into  the  drove  of  pigs." 

"  Go,"  he  said.  32 

The  spirits  came  out,  and  entered  the  pigs ;  and  the  whole 
drove  rushed  down  the  steep  slope  into  the  Sea,  and  died  in 
the  water.  At  this  the  men  who  tended  them  ran  33 

away  and  went  to  the  town,  carrying  the  news  of  all  that  had 
occurred,  and  of  what  had  happened  to  the  possessed  men. 
At  the  news  the  whole  town  went  out  to  meet  Jesus,  and,  when     34 
they  saw  him,   they  entreated   him  to  go  away  from  their 
neighbourhood. 

cure  of          Afterwards  Jesus  got  into  a  boat,  and,  crossing     i    9 
a  paralyzed   over,   came  to  his  own  city.  And  there     2 

Man.        some  people  brought  to  him  a  paralyzed  man  on 
a  bed.     When  Jesus  saw  their  faith,  he  said  to  the  man  : 

"  Courage,  Child  !  your  sins  are  forgiven." 
Then  some  of  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  said  to  themselves  :          3 

"This  man  is  blaspheming!" 
Knowing  their  thoughts,  Jesus  exclaimed  :  4 

"  Why  do  you  cherish  such  wicked  thoughts  ?  Which,  I  ask,     5 
is  the  easier  ? — to  say  '  Your  sins  are  forgiven  '  ?  or  to  say  '  Get 
up,  and  walk  about '  ?     But,  that  you  may  know  that  the  Son     6 
of  Man  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  " — then  he  said  to  the 
paralyzed  man — "  Get  up,  take  up  your  bed,  and  return  to  your 
home."    The  man  got  up  and  went  to  his  home.  When     7,8 

the  crowd  saw  this,  they  were  awe-struck,  and  praised  God  for 
giving  such  power  to  men. 


MATTHEW,  9.  57 

Can  of  As  Jesus  went  along,  he  saw  a  man,  called     9 

Matthew.     Matthew,  sitting  in  the  tax-office,  and    said    to 
him  : 

"  Follow  me." 
Matthew  got  up  and  followed  him. 

And,  later  on,  when  he  was  at  table  in  the     10 

Jesus  blamed  . 

for  his       house,  a  number  or  tax-gatherers  and  outcasts 
companions.  caiTie   in   and    took  their  places   at    table   with 
Jesus  and  his  disciples.     When  the  Pharisees  saw  this,  they     n 
sa"id  to  his  disciples  : 

"Why  does   your   Teacher  eat  in  the  company  of  tax- 

Sitherers  and  outcasts  ?  "  • 
n  hearing  this,  Jesus  said  :  12 

"It  is  not  those  who  are  in  health  that  need  a  doctor,  but 
those  who  are  ill.     Go  and  learn  what  this  means —  13 

'  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice  '  ; 

for  I  did  not  come  to  call  the  religious,  but  the  outcast." 

...  Then  John's  disciples  came  to  Jesus,  and  asked  :     14 

The  Disciples         ,,-,•,„  J     ,  j   ,,        -p.,         •  e     \        1-1 

blamed  for  Why  do  we  and  the  Pharisees  last  while  your 

not  Fasting,    disciples  do  not  ?  " 

Jesus  answered  :  15 

"  Can  the  bridegroom's  friends  mourn  as  long  as  the  bride- 
groom is  with  them  ?   But  the  days  will  come,  when  the  bride- 
groom will  be  parted  from  them,  and  they  will  fast  then.     No     16 
man  ever  puts  a  piece  of  unshrunk  cloth  on  an  old  garment ; 
for  such  a  patch  tears  away  from  the  garment,  and  a  worse 
rent  is  made.     Nor  do  people  put  new  wine  into  old  wine-     17 
skins  ;  for,  if  they  do,  the  skins  burst,  and  the  wine  runs  out, 
and  the  skins  are  lost ;  but  they  put  new  wine  into  fresh  skins, 
and  so  both  are  preserved." 

While  Jesus  was  saying  this,  a  President  of  a     18 

The  Raisins    o  J  J       ?  , 

of  the        Synagogue  came  up  and  bowed  to  the  ground 
Daughter  o*  before  him. 

jaeirus.  „  My  daughter,"  he  said,  "has  just  died  ;  but 
come  and  place  your  hand  on  her,  and  she  will  be  restored  to 
life." 

So  Jesus   rose   and    followed    him,    and   his    disciples    went     19 
also.  But  meanwhile  a  woman,  who  had  been  suffer-     20 

Cure  of      'in&  fr°nl  haemorrhage  for  twelve  years,  came  up 
an  afflicted   behind  and  touched  the  tassel  of  his  cloak. 

woman.  "  If  I  only  touch  his  cloak,"  she  said  to  herself,     21 

"I  shall  get  well." 
Turning  and  seeing  her,  Jesus  said  :  22 

"  Courage,  Daughter  !  your  faith  has  delivered  you."  And 
the  woman  was  delivered  from  her  malady  from  that  very 
hour.  When  Jesus  reached  the  President's  house,  seeing  23 

13  Hos.  6.  6.     20  Num.  15.  38. 


58  MATTHEW,  9— 1O. 

the  flute-players,  and  a  number  of  people  all  in  confusion,  he  said: 

"  Go  a"way,  the  little  girl  is  not  dead  ;  she  is  asleep."  24 

They  began  to  laugh  at  him  ;  but,  when  the  people  had  been     25 
sent  out,  Jesus  went  in,  and  took  the  little  girl's  hand,  and  she 
rose.  The    report   of    this    spread   through   all    that     26 

part  of  the  country. 

As  Jesus  was  passing  on  from  there,  he  was     27 
"t^o"        followed  by  two  blind  men,  who  kept  calling  out : 

blind  Men.         «« Take  pity  on  us,  Son  of  David  !  "  . 

When  he  had  gone  indoors,  the  blind  men  came  up  to  him  ;     28 
and  Jesus  asked  them  : 

"  Do  you  believe  that  I  am  able  to  do  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Master  !  "  they  answered. 
Upon  that  he  touched  their  eyes,  and  said  :  29 

"  It  shall  be  according  to  your  faith." 

Then  their  eyes  were  opened.  Jesus  sternly  cautioned     30 

them.     "  See  that  no  one  knows  of  it,"  he  said.     But  the  men     31 
went  out,  and  spread  the  news  about  him  through  all  that  part 
of  the  country. 

cure  of  a         Just    as    they  were  going1  out,    some   people     32 

dumb  Man.   brought   up    to  Jesus   a   dumb   man   who   was 
possessed  by  a  demon  ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  demon  had  been     33 
driven  out,  the  dumb  man  spoke.    The  people  were  astonished 
at  this,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Nothing  like  this  has  ever  been  seen  in  Israel ! " 
But  the  Pharisees  said  :  34 

"He  drives  out  the  demons   by  the  help  of  the  chief  of 
the  demons." 


The  Need         Jesus  went  round  all  the  towns  and  the  vil-     35 
for          lages,  teaching  in  their  Synagogues,  proclaiming 

worker*.  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom,  and  curing  every 
kind  of  disease  and  every  kind  of  sickness. 

But,  when  he  saw  the  crowds,  his  heart  was  moved  with  com-     36 
passion  for  them,  because  they  were  distressed  and  harassed, 
'  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd  ' ;  and  he  said  to  his  disciples  :     37 

"The   harvest   is   abundant,    but    the    labourers    are  few. 
Therefore  pray  to  the  Owner  of  the  harvest  to  send  labourers     38 
to  gather  in  his  harvest." 
The  twelve        Calling  his  twelve  Disciples  to  him,  Jesus  gave     i 

Apo«tie«.  them  authority  over  foul  spirits,  so  that  they 
could  drive  them  out,  as  well  as  the  power  of  curing  every 
kind  of  disease  and  every  kind  of  sickness. 

The  names  of  the  twelve  Apostles  are  these  :  2 

First  Simon,  also  known  as  Peter,  and  his  brother  Andrew ; 
James  the  son  of  Zebediah,  and  his  brother  John  ; 
Philip  and  Bartholomew  ;  3 

86  Num.  27.  17. 


MATTHEW,  1O.  59 

Thomas,  and  Matthew  the  tax-gatherer  ; 

James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  and  Thaddaeus  ; 

Simon    the    Zealot,    and   Judas    Iscariot — the    Apostle    who     4 

betrayed  him. 

The  Mission       These  twelve  Jesus  sent  out  as  his  Messengers,     5 

of  the  twelve  after  giving  them  these  instructions — 

Apostles. 

"  Do  not  go  to  the  Gentiles,  nor  enter  any  Samaritan  town, 
but  make  your  way  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  Israel.    And  on     6,  7 
your  way  proclaim  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand. 
Cure  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  make  the  lepers  clean,  drive     8 
out  demons.      You  have  received  free  of  cost,  give  free  of 
cost.  Do  not  provide  yourselves  with  gold,  or  silver,     g 

or  pence  in  your  purses  ;  not  even  with  a  bag  for  the  journey,     10 
or  a  change  of  clothes,  or  sandals,  or  even  a  staff;    for  the 
worker  is  worth  his  food.      Whatever  town  or  village  you     u 
visit,    find    out  who    is  worthy  in    that  place,   and   remain 
there  till  you  leave.    As  you  enter  the  house,  greet  it.    Then,     12,  13 
if  the  house  is  worthy,  let  your  blessing  rest  upon   it,   but, 
if  it  is  unworthy,  let  your  blessing  return  upon  yourselves. 
If  no  one  welcomes  you,  or  listens  to  what  you  say,  as  you     14 
leave  that  house  or  that  town,  shake  off  its  dust  from  your 
feet.     I  tell  you,  the  doom  of  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah     15 
will  be  more  bearable  in  the  '  Day  of  Judgement '  than  the 
doom  of  that  town. 

Remember,  I  am  sendingyou  out  as  my  Messengers  like  sheep     16 
among  wolves.    So  be  as  wise  as  serpents,  and  as  blameless  as     17 
doves.      Be  on  your  guard  against  your  fellow  men,  for  they 
will  betray  you  to  courts  of  law,  and  scourge  you  in  their  Syna- 
gogues ;  and  you  will  be  brought  before  governors  and  kings     18 
for  my  sake,  that  you  may  witness  for  me  before  them  and  the 
nations.  Whenever  they  betray  you,  do  not  be  anxious  as  to  how     19 
you  shall  speak  or  what  you  shall  say,  for  what  you  shall  say 
will  be  given  you  at  the  moment ;  for  it  will  not  be  you  who     20 
speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  that  speaks  within  you. 
Brother  will  betray  brother  to  death,  and  the  father  his  child  ;     21 
and  children  will  turn  against  their  parents,  and  cause  them 
to  be  put  to  death  ;  and  you  will  be  hated  by  every  one  on     22 
account  of  my  Name.   Yet  the  man  that  endures  to  the  end  shall 
be  saved.     But,  when  they  persecute  you  in  one  town,  escape  to     23 
the  next ;  for,  I  tell  you,  you  will  not  have  come  to  the  end  of 
the  towns  of  Israel  before  the  Son  of  Man  comes.  A     24 

scholar  is  not  above  his  teacher,    nor  a  servant  above  his 
master.      It  is  enough  for  a  scholar  to  be  treated  like  his     25 
teacher,  and  a  servant  like  his  master.     If  the  head  of  the 
house  has  been  called  Baal-zebub,  how  much  more  the  mem- 
bers of  his  household  !     Do  not,  therefore,  be  afraid  of  them.     26 
There  is  nothing  concealed  which  will  not  be  revealed,  nor 

15  Enoch  10.  6.    21  Mic.  7.  6. 


60  MATTHEW,  1O— 11. 

anything-  hidden  which  will  not  become  known.  What  I  tell 
you  in  the  dark,  say  agam  in  the  light ;  and  what  is  whispered 
in  your  ear,  proclaim  upon  the  housetops.  And  do  not  be 
afraid  of  those  who  kill  the  body,  but  are  unable  to  kill  the 
soul ;  rather  be  afraid  of  him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both 
soul  and  body  in  the  Pit.  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  half- 
penny ?  Yet  not  one  of  them  will  fall  to  the  ground  without 
your  Father's  knowledge.  While  as  for  you,  the  very  hairs  of 
your  head  are  all  numbered.  Do  not,  therefore,  be  afraid ;  you 
are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Every  one, 

therefore,  who  shall  acknowledge  me  before  his  fellow  men,  I, 
too,  will  acknowledge  before  my  Father  who  is  in  Heaven  ; 
but,  if  any  one  disowns  me  before  his  fellow  men,  I,  too,  will 
disown  him  before  my  Father  who  is  in  Heaven. 

The  cost         -D°  n°t-  ima§Tme  that  I  have  come  to  bring 

of  Christ's    peace  upon  the  earth.    I  have  come  to  bring,  not 

Service,      peace,  but  the  sword.     For  I  have  come  to  set — 

'a  man  against  his  father,  and  a  daughter  against  her 
mother,  and  a  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law.  A 
man's  enemies  will  be  the  members  of  his  own  household.' 

He  who  loves  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me;  and  he  who  loves  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is 
not  worthy  of  me.  And  the  man  who  does  not  take  his  cross 
and  follow  in  my  steps  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  who  has 
found  his  life  will  lose  it,  while  he  who,  for  my  sake,  has  lost 
his  life  shall  find  it. 

He  who  welcomes  you  is  welcoming  me  ;  and  he  who 
welcomes  me  is  welcoming  him  who  sent  me  as  his  Messenger. 
He  who  welcomes  a  Prophet,  because  he  is  a  Prophet,  shall 
receive  a  Prophet's  reward  ;  and  he  who  welcomes  a  good 
man,  because  he  is  a  good  man,  shall  receive  a  good  man's 
reward.  And,  if  any  one  gives  but  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  one 
of  these  lowly  ones  because  he  is  a  disciple,  I  tell  you  that  he 
shall  assuredly  not  lose  his  reward." 

After  Jesus  had  finished  giving  directions  to  his  twelve 
Disciples,  he  left  that  place  in  order  to  teach  and  preach  in 
their  towns. 


The  Baptist's      Now  John  had  heard  in  prison  what  the  Christ    2 
Message  to  was  doing,  and  he  sent  a  message  by  his  disciples    3 

•*••«•«       and  asked — 

"Are  you  'The  Coming  One,'  or  are  we  to  look  for  some 
one  else  ?  " 

»-»«  Mic.  7.  6.    3  Ps.  n&  26. 


MATTHEW,  11.  61 

The  answer  of  Jesus  to  the  question  was —  4 

"  Go  and  report  to  John  what  you  hear  and  see — The  blind     5 
recover  their  sight  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  made 
clean  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead,  too,  are  raised  to  life,  and 
the  Good  News  is  told  to  the  poor.     And  blessed  is  the  man     6 
who  finds  no  hindrance  in  me." 

While  these  men  were  going  back,  Jesus  began     7 

Testimony  of  ^°  sav  ^°  ^e  crowds  with  reference  to  John  : 

jcsus  to          "WhatdidyougooutintotheWildernesstolook    8 

the  Baptist.  a£ p     ^  reed  waving  in  the  wind?     If  not,  what 
did  you  go  out  to  see  ?     A  man  richly  dressed  ?     Why,  those 
who  wear  rich  things  are  to  be  found  in  the  courts  of  kings  ! 
What,  then,  did  you  go  for  ?     To  see  a  Prophet  ?     Yes,  I  tell     9 
you,  and  far  more  than  a  Prophet.     This  is  the  man  of  whom     10 
Scripture  says — 

'  Behold,  I  am  myself  sending-  my  Messenger  before  thy  face, 
And  he  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.' 

I  tell  you,  no  one  born  of  a  woman  has  yet  appeared  who  is     1 1 

S -eater  than  John  the  Baptist ;  and  yet  the  lowliest  in  the 
ingdom  of  Heaven  is  greater  than  he.     From  the  time  of    12 
John  the  Baptist  to  this  very  hour,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
has  been  taken  by  force,   and   men  using  force  have  been 
seizing  it.     For  the  teaching  of  all  the  Prophets  and  of  the     13 
Law  continued  till  the  time  of  John  ;  and — if  you  are  ready  to     14 
accept  it — John  is  himself  the  Elijah  who  was  destined  to 
come.  Let  him  who   has   ears   hear.  But  to     15,  16 

what  shall    I    compare   the  present  generation  ?     It  is  like 
little  children  sitting  in  the  market-places  and  calling  out  to     17 
their  playmates — 

'  We  have  played  the  flute  for  you,  but  you  have  not  danced  ; 
We  have  wailed,  but  you  have  not  mourned. ' 

For,  when  John  came,  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  men  said     18 
'  He  has  a  demon  in  him ' ;  and  now  that  the  Son  of  Man  has     19 
come,  eating  and  drinking,  they  are  saying  '  Here  is  a  glutton 
and  a  wine-drinker,  a  friend  of  tax-gatherers  and  outcasts  ! ' 
And  yet  Wisdom  is  vindicated  by  her  actions." 
The  Doom  of      Then  Jesus  began  to  reproach  the  towns  in     20 
the  Towns  of  which  most  of  his  miracles  had  been  done,  be- 
caiiiee.       cause  they  had  not  repented  : 

"Alas  for  you,  Chorazin  !    Alas  for  you,  Bethsaida  !    For,  if    21 
the  miracles  which  were  done  in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.     Yet,  I  tell  you,  the  doom  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  will  be  more     22 
bearable  in  the  '  Day  of  Judgement '  than  yours.  And     23 

you,    Capernaum  !     Will   you    '  exalt  yourself  to    Heaven '  ? 
'  You  shall  go  down  to  the  Place  of  Death. '  For,  if  the  miracles 

8  Isa.  61.  i.    10  Mai.  3.  i.    23  Isa.  14.  13—15. 


62  MATTHEW,  11—12. 

which  have  been  done  in  you  had  been  done  in  Sodom,  it 
would  have  been  standing  to  this  day*     Yet,  I  tell  you,  the     24 
doom  of  Sodom  will  be  more  bearable  in  the  '  Day  of  J  udge- 
ment'  than  yours." 

The  At  that  same  time  Jesus  uttered  the  words  :          25 

chiid-iike  "  I  thank  thee,    Father,  Lord  of 

Mind.  Heaven  and  earth,  that,  though  thou 

hast  hidden  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  learned,  thou  hast  revealed 
them  to  the  child-like  !  Yes,  Father,  26 

I  thank  thee  that  this  has  seemed 
good  to  thee. 

Everything  has  been  committed  to  me  by  my  Father ;   nor     27 
does  any  one  fully  know  the  Son,  except  the  Father,  or  fully 
know  the  Father,  except  the  Son  and  those  to  whom  the  Son 

Jesus        may  choose  to  reveal  him.  Come  to  me,     28 

invites  the    all  you  who  toil  and  are  burdened,  and   I  will 

weary.       gjve  yOU  res£  i     Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and     29 
learn  from  me,  for  I  am  gentle  and  lowly-minded,  and  '  you 
shall  find  rest  for  your  souls ' ;  for  my  yoke  is  easy,  and   my     30 
burden  is  light." 

About  the  same  time  Jesus  walked  through  the     i 

The  Disciples  r    <  «  r-    i  i      ,1  TT*        j*       •     i 

blamed  for   corn-fields    one    Sabbath.       His  disciples  were 
not  observing  hungry,  and  began  to  pick  some  ears  of  wheat 

the  Law.      ancj  eaj.  them    But,  when  the  Pharisees  saw  this,     2 
they  said  : 

"  Look  !  your  disciples  are  doing  what  it  is  not  allowable  to 
do  on  a  Sabbath  !  " 

"  Have  not  you  read,"  replied  Jesus,  "what  David  did,  when     3 
he  and  his  companions  were  hungry — how  he  went  into  the    4 
House  of  God,  and  how  they  ate  the  consecrated  bread,  though 
it  was  not  allowable  for  him  or  his  companions  to  eat  it,  but 
only  for  the  priests  ?    And  have  not  you  read  in  the  Law  that,     5 
on  the  Sabbath,  the  priests  in  the  Temple  break  the  Sabbath 
and  yet  are  not  guilty?     Here,  however,  I  tell  you,  there  is     6 
something  greater  than  the  Temple  !    And  had  vou  learnt  the     7 
meaning  of  the  words — 

'  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,' 

you  would  not  have  condemned   those  who  are  not  guilty. 
For  the  Son  of  Man  is  lord  of  the  Sabbath."  8 

Passing  on,  Jesus  went  into  their  Synagogue,     9 
a  Mai? with    ant^  there  he  saw  a  man  with  a  withered  hand.     10 
a  withered    Some  people  asked  Jesus  whether  it  was  allowable 
Hand.        to  work  a  cure  on  t|ie  Sabbath — so  that  they  might 
have  a  charge  to  bring  against  him.     But  Jesus  said  to  them  :     u 

W  Enoch  10.  6.     29  Jer.  6.  16.     «  i  Sam.  21.  6.    ^  Hos.  6.  6. 


MATTHEW,  12.  63 

"  Which  of  you,  if  he  had  only  one  sheep,  and  that  sheep 
fell  into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath,  would  not  lay  hold  of  it  and 
pull  it  out?     And  how  much  more  precious  a  man  is  than  a     12 
sheep  !    Therefore  it  is  allowable  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath." 
Then  he  said  to  the  man.  13 

"  Stretch  out  your  hand." 

The  man  stretched  it  out ;  and  it  had  become  as  sound  as  the 
other.  On  coming  out,  the  Pharisees  plotted  against     14 

Jesus,  to  put  him  to  death. 

Jesus,  however,  became  aware  of  it,  and  went  away  from     15 
that  place.  A  number  of  people  followed  him,  and  he 

cured  them  all ;  but  he  warned  them  not  to  make  him  known,     16 
in  fulfilment  of  these  words  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah —  17 

'  Behold  !  the  Servant  of  my  Choice,  18 

My  Beloved,  in  whom  my  heart  delights  ! 
I  will  breathe  my  spirit  upon  him, 

And  he  shall  announce  a  time  of  judgement  to  the  Gentiles. 
He  shall  not  contend,  nor  cry  aloud,  19 

Neither  shall  any  one  hear  his  voice  in  the  streets  ; 
A  bruised  reed  he  will  not  break,  20 

And  a  smouldering1  wick  he  will  not  quench, 

Till  he  has  brought  the  judgement  to  a  victorious  issue, 

And  on  his  name  shall  the  Gentiles  rest  their  hopes.'  21 

Cure  of  a  blind      Then  some  people  brought  to  Jesus  a  possessed     22 
and  dumb     man,  who  was  blind  and  dumb  ;   and  he  cured 
Man-         him,  so  that  the  man  who  had  been  dumb  both 
talked  and  saw.  At  this  all  the  people  were  astounded.     23 

"Is  it  possible  that  this  is  the  son  of  David?"  they  exclaimed. 
But  the  Pharisees  heard  of  it  and  said  :  24 

"He  drives  out  demons  only  by  the  help  of 
Je8"/A^""ed  Baal-zebub  the  chief  of  the  demons." 
by  the  Help    Jesus,  however,  was  aware  of  what  was  passing     25 

of  Satan.        jn  tjle;r  mjncJS)  ancj  sajd  to  them  . 

"Any  kingdom  divided  against  itself  becomes  a  desolation, 
and  any  town  or  household  divided  against  itself  will  not  last. 
So,  if  Satan  drives  Satan  out,  he  must  be  divided  against     26 
himself;   and  how,  then,  can  his  kingdom  last?    And,  if  it     27 
is  by  Baal-zebub's  help  that  I  drive  out  demons,  by  whose 
help  is  it  that  your  own  sons  drive  them  out  ?     Therefore  they 
shall  themselves  be  your  judges.     But,  if  it  is  by  the  help  of    28 
the  Spirit  of  God  that  I  drive  out  demons,  then  the  Kingdom 
of  God  must  already  be  upon  you.     How,  again,  can  any  one     29 
get  into  a  strong  man's  house  and  carry  off  his  goods,  without 
first  securing  him  ?  And  not  till  then  will  he  plunder  his  house. 
He  who   is  not  with  me   is  against  me,  and   he   who  does     30 
not  help   me   to   gather  is  scattering.  Therefore,   I     31 

tell  you,  men  will  be   forgiven  every   sin  and   slander  ;    but 

J8  Isji.  41-  8 ;  42.  i.    19-21  jsa.  42.  2_4. 


64  MATTHEW,  12. 

slander  against  the  Holy  Spirit  will  not  be  forgiven.    Whoever    32 
speaks  against  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  forgiven,  but  whoever 
speaks  against  the  Holy  Spirit  will  not  be  forgiven,   either 
in  the  present  age,  or  in  the  age  to  come. 

words  ^ou  must  assume  either  that  both  tree  and  fruit     33 

a.  Test  of     are  good,  or  that  both  tree  and  fruit  are  worthless ; 
character,    since  it  is  by  its  fruit  that  a  tree  is  known.     You     34 
brood  of  vipers  !  how  can  you,  evil  as  you  are,  say  anything 
good  ?     For  what  fills  the  heart  will  rise  to  the  lips.     A  good     35 
man,  from  his  good  stores,  produces  good  things  ;  while  an 
evil  man,  from  his  evil  stores,  produces  evil  things.  I     36 

tell  you  that  for  every  careless  thing  that  men  say,  they  must 
answer  on  the  '  Day  of  Judgement.'     For  it  is  by  your  words     37 
that  you  will  be  acquitted,  and  by  your  words  that  you  will  be 
condemned." 

At  this  point,  some  Teachers  of  the  Law  and     -*8 

Warning  _,        .  *.  .  •» 

against  seeking  Pharisees  interposed. 

signs.  "Teacher,"  they  said,  "we  want  to  see  some 

sign  from  you. " 

"  It  is  a  wicked  and  unfaithful  generation,"  answered  Jesus,     39 
"  that  is  asking  for  a  sign,  and  no  sign  shall  be  given  it  except 
the  sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonah.     For,  just  as  'Jonah  was  inside    40 
the  sea-monster  three  days  and  three  nights,'  so  shall  the  Son  of 
Man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth. 
At  the  Judgement,  the  men  of  Nineveh  will  stand  up  with  this     41 
generation,  and  will  condemn  it,  because  they  repented  at 
Jonah's  proclamation  ;   and  here  is  more  than  a  Jonah  !     At    42 
the  Judgement  the  Queen  of  the  South  will  rise  up  with  the 
present  generation,  and  will  condemn  it,  because  she  came 
from  the  very  ends  of  the  earth  to  listen  to  the  wisdom  of 
Solomon  ;  and  here  is  more  than  a  Solomon  ! 

Dan  er  ^°   sooner  does   a   foul   spirit   leave  a   man,     43 

or  imperfect  than  it  passes  through  places  where  there  is  no 
Reformation.  water,   in  search  of  rest,  and  does  not  find  it. 
Then  it  says  '  I  will  go  back  to  the  home  which  I  left ' ;  but,     44 
on  coming  there,  it  finds  it  unoccupied,  and  swept,  and  put  in 
order.    Then  it  goes  and  brings  with  it  seven  other  spirits  more     45 
wicked  than  itself,  and  they  go  in,  and  make  their  home  there  ; 
and  the  last  state  of  that  man  proves  to  be  worse  than  the 
first.  So,  too,  will  it  be  with  this  wicked  generation." 

The  true          While  he  was  still  speaking  to  the  crowds,  his     46 
Brotherhood,  motherand  brothers  were  standing  outside,  asking 
to  speak  to  him.    Some  one  told  him  this,  and  Jesus  replied  :       47, 

"  Who  is  my  mother  ?  and  who  are  my  brothers  ?  " 
Then,  stretching  out  his  hand  towards  his  disciples,  he  said  :        49 

40  Jon.  i.  17.    42  i  Kings  10.  a— 4, 


MATTHEW,  12-13.  65 

"  Here  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers  !     For  any  one  who     50 
does  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  Heaven  is  my  brother 
and  sister  and  mother." 


Parable          That  same  day,  when  Jesus  had  left  the  house     i  ; 
of  the  sower,  and  was  sitting  by  the  Sea,  such  great  crowds     2 
gathered  round  him,  that  he  got  into  a  boat,  and  sat  in  it, 
while  all  the  people  stood  upon  the  beach.     Then  he  told  them     3 
many  truths  in  parables. 

"  The  sower,"  he  began,  "  went  out  to  sow  ;  and,  as  he  was     4 
sowing,  some  seed  fell  along  the  path,  and  the  birds  came 
and  ate  it  up.     Some  fell  on  rocky  places,  where  it  had  not     5 
much  soil,  and,  having  no  depth  of  soil,  sprang  up  at  once. 
As  soon  as  the  sun  had  risen,  it  was  scorched,  and,  having  no     6 
root,  withered  away.     Some,  again,  feH  into  the  brambles  ;     7 
but  the  brambles  shot  up  and  choked  it.     Some,  however,  fell     8 
on  good  soil,  and  yielded  a  return,  sometimes  one  hundred, 
sometimes  sixty,  sometimes  thirty  fold.  Let  him  who     9 

has  ears  hear." 

Afterwards  his  disciples  came  to  him,  and  said  :  10 

"  Wny  do  you  speak  to  them  in  parables  ?  " 

" To  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "the  knowledge  of  the  hidden     n 
truths  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  has  been  imparted,  but  not  to 
those.    For,  to  all  who  have,  more  will  be  given,  and  they  shall     12 
have  abundance  ;  but,  from  all  who  have  nothing,  even  what 
they  have  will  be  taken  away.     That  is  why  I  speak  to  them     13 
in  parables,  because,  though  they  have  eyes,  they  do  not  see, 
and  though  they  have  ears,  they  do  not  hear  or  understand. 
And  in  them  is  being  fulfilled  that  prophecy  of  Isaiah  which     14 
says — 

'  You  will  hear  with  your  ears  without  ever  understanding1, 

And,  though  you  have  eyes,  you  will  see  without  ever  perceiv- 
ing. 

For  the  mind  of  this  nation  has  grown  dense,  15 

And  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing, 
Their  eyes  also  have  they  closed  ; 
Lest  some  day  they  should  perceive  with  their  eyes, 
And  with  their  ears  they  should  hear, 

And  in  their  mind  they  should  understand,  and  should  turn — 
And  I  should  heal  them.' 

But  blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see,  and  your  ears,  for  they     16 
hear  ;   for  I  tell  you  that  many  Prophets  and  good  men  have     17 
longed  for  the  sight  of  the  things  which  you  are  seeing,  yet 
never  saw  them,  and  to  hear  the  things  which  you  are  hearing, 
yet  never  heard  them. 

Listen,  then,  yourselvesto  the  parable  of  the  Sower.         When     18, 
any  one  hears  the  Message  of  the  Kingdom  without  under- 

14-15  Isa.  6.  9—10. 


66  MATTHEW,  13. 

standing  it,  the  Evil  One  comes  and    snatches  away  what 
has  been  sown  in  his  mind.     This  is  the  man  meant  by  the 
seed  which  was  sown  along  the  path.     By  the  seed  which  was     20 
sown  on  rocky  places  is  meant  the  man  who  hears  the  Message, 
and  at  once  accepts  it  joyfully  ;  but,  as  he  has  no  root,  he     21 
stands  for  only  a  short  time  ;  and,  when  trouble  or  persecu- 
tion arises  on  account  of  the  Message,  he  falls  away  at  once. 
By  the  seed  which  was  sown  among  the  brambles  is  meant     22 
the  man  who  hears  the  Message,  but  the  cares  of  life  and  the 
glamour  of  wealth  completely  choke  the  Message,  so  that  it 
gives  no  return.      But  by  the  seed  which  was  sown  on  the     23 
good  ground  is  meant  the  man  who  hears  the  Message  and 
understands  it,  and  really  yields  a  return,  sometimes  one  hun- 
dred, sometimes  sixty,  sometimes  thirty  fold. " 

Parable          Another  parable   which  Jesus  told  them  was     24 

of  the  Tares,  this — 

"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven   is  compared   to  a  man  who 
sowed  good  seed  in  his  field.     But,  while  every  one  was  asleep,     25 
his  enemy  eame  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  then 
went  away.     So,  when  the  blades  of  corn  shot  up,  and  came     26 
into  ear,  the  tares  made  their  appearance  also.     On  this  the     27 
owner's  servants  came  to  him,  and  said  '  Was  not  it  good  seed 
that  you  sowed  in  your  field  ?     Where,  then,  do  the  tares  in  it 
come  from  ? ' 

'An  enemy  has  done  this,'  was  his  answer.  28 

'  Do  you  wish  us,  then,'  they  asked,  '  to  go  and  gather  them 
together  ? ' 

'No,'  said  he,  'for  fear  that,  while  you  are  gathering  the     29 
tares,  you  should  root  up  the  wheat  as  well.     Let  both  grow     30 
side  by  side  till  harvest ;  and  then  I  shall  say  to  the  reapers, 
Gather  the  tares  together  first,  and  tie  them  in  bundles  for 
burning  ;  but  bring  all  the  wheat  into  my  barn.' " 

Parable           Another  parable  which  he  told  them  was  this —    31 
or  the  "The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  miisi.ird- 

Mustard  seed,  seed,  which  a  man  took  and  sowed  in  his  field. 
This  seed  is  smaller  than  all  other  seeds,  but,  when  it  has    32 
grown  up,  it  is  larger  than  the  herbs  and  becomes  a  tree,  so 
that  '  the  wild  birds  come  and  roost  in  its  branches.'" 

Parable          This  was'  another  parable  which  Jesus  related —     33 
or  the  "The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  some  yeast 

Leaven.       which  a  woman  took  and  covered  up  in  three 
pecks  of  flour,  until  the  whole  had  risen." 

Of  all  this  Jesus  spoke  to  the  crowd  in  parables  ;  indeed  to  34 
them  he  used  never  to  speak  at  all  except  in  parables,  in  fulfil-  35 
ment  of  these  words  in  the  Prophet — 

'  I  will  speak  to  them  in  parables  ; 

I  will  utter  things  kept  secret  since  the  foundation  of  the  world.' 
»  Dan.  4.  i  a.     »  Pa.  78.  a. 


MATTHEW,  13.  67 

Parable         Then  Jesus  left  the  crowd,  and  went  into  the    36 
of  the  Tares  house.  Presently  his  disciples  came  to 

explained,    him,  and  said  : 

"  Explain  to  us  the  parable  of  the  tares  in  the  field." 
And  he  answered  :  "  The  sower  of  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of    37 
Man.     The  field  is  the  world.     By  the  good  seed  is  meant  the     38 
People  of  the  Kingdom.     The  tares  are  the  wicked,  and  the     39 
enemy  who  sowed  them  is  the  Devil.     The  harvest-time  is 
the  close  of  the  age,  and  the  reapers  are  angels.     And,  just    40 
as  the  tares  are  gathered  and  burnt,  so  it  will  be  at  the  close  of 
the  age.     The  Son  of  Man  will  send  his  angels,  and  they  will     41 
gather  from  his  kingdom  all  that  hinders  and  those  who  live 
in  sin,  and  'will  throw  them  into  the  fiery  furnace,'  where    42 
there  will  be  weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth. 

Then  shall  the  righteous  shine,  like  the  sun,  in  the  Kingdom    43 
of  their  Father.  Let  him  who  has  ears  hear. 

Parable          Tne  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  treasure  hid-    44 
of  the        den  in  a  field,  which  a  man  found  and  hid  again, 
Treasure.     an(j  then,  in  his  delight,  went  and  sold  everything 
that  he  had,  and  bought  that  field. 

Parable          Again,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  mer-    45 
of  the  Pearl,  chant  in  search  of  choice  pearls.     Finding  one  of    46 
great  value,  he  went  and  sold  everything  that  he  had,  and 
bought  it. 

Parable          Or  again,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  a  net    47 
of  the  Net.    which  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and  caugnt  fish  of 
all  kinds.     When  it  was  full,  they  hauled  it  up  on  the  beach,     48 
and  sat  down  and  sorted  the  good  fish  into  baskets,  but  threw 
the  worthless  ones  away.     So  will  it  be  at  the  close  of  the  age.     49 
The  angels  will  go  out  and  separate  the  wicked  from  the 
righteous,  and  '  will  throw  them  into  the  fiery  furnace,'  where    50 
there  will  be  weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth. 

New  Have  you  understood  all  this?"  Jesus  asked.       51 

and  old          "  Yes,"  they  answered. 

Truths.      Then  he  added  :  52 

"  So  every  Teacher  of  the  Law,  who  has  received  instruction 
about  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  is  like  a  householder  who  pro- 
duces from  his  stores  things  both  new  and  old." 

Jesu  When  Jesus  had  finished  these  parables,  he     53 

teaches  at    withdrew  from  that  place.     Going  to  his  own  part    54 
Nazareth.     of  the  country,   he   taught  the  people  in  their 
Synagogue  in  such  a  manner  that  they  were  deeply  impressed. 
"Where  did  he  get  this  wisdom?"  they  said,  "and  the 
miracles  ?     Is  not  he  the  carpenter's  son  ?     Is  not  his  mother    55 
called  Mary,  and  his  brothers  James,  and  Joseph,  and  Simon, 
and  Judas?    And  his   sisters,    too — are  not  they  all  living    56 
among  us  ?     Where,  then   did  he  get  all  this  ?  " 

4J  Enoch  54.  6.     <3  Dan.  12.  3.    &  Enoch  54.  6. 


68  MATTHEW,  13-14. 

These  things  proved  a  hindrance  to  their  believing  in  him  ;     57 
whereupon  Jesus  said  : 

"A  Prophet  is  not  without  honour,  except  in  his  own  country 
and  in  his  own  house." 

And  he  did  not  work  many  miracles  there,  because  of  their    58 
want  of  faith. 


The  Death  of     At  that  time  Prince  Herod  heard  of  the  fame  of 
the  Baptist.  Jesus,  and  said  to  his  attendants  : 

"  This  must  be  John  the  Baptist ;  he  must  be  risen  from 
the  dead,  and  that  is  why  these  miraculous  powers  are  active 
in  him." 

For  Herod  had  arrested  John,  put  him  in  chains,  and  shut 
him  up  in  prison,  to  please  Herodias,  the  wife  of  Herod's 
brother  Philip.  For  John  had  said  to  him  '  You  have  no  right 
to  be  living  with  her.'  Yet,  though  Herod  wanted  to  put  him 
to  death,  he  was  afraid  of  the  people,  because  they  looked  on 
John  as  a  Prophet.  But,  when  Herod's  birthday  came,  the 
daughter  of  Herodias  danced  before  his  guests,  and  so  pleased 
Herod,  that  he  promised  with  an  oath  to  give  her  whatever 
she  asked.  Prompted  by  her  mother,  the  girl  said  '  Give  me 
here,  on  a  dish,  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.'  The  king  was 
distressed  at  this ;  yet,  on  account  of  his  oath  and  of  the  guests  at 
his  table,  he  ordered  it  to  be  given  her.  He  sent  and  beheaded 
Johninthe  prison  ;  and  his  head  was  brought  on  a  dish  and  given 
to  the  girl,  and  she  took  it  to  her  mother.  Then  John's 

disciples  came,  and  took  the  body  away,  and  buried  it ;  and 
went  and  told  Jesus. 

When  Jesus  heard  of  it,  he  retired  privately  in  a 

flve't^ou'sand  boat  to  a  lonely  spot.    The  people,  however,  heard 

by  the  Lake   of  his  going,  and  followed  him  in  crowds  from  the 

or  oaiiiee.     towns   on   foot-  On  getting   out  of  the 

boat,  Jesus  saw  a  great  crowd,  and  his  heart  was  moved  at  the 
sight  of  them  ;  and  hecured  all  thesickamong  them.  In 

the  evening  the  disciples  came  up  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  This  is  a  lonely  spot,  and  the  day  is  now  far  advanced  ; 
send  the  crowds  away,  that  they  may  go  to  the  villages,  and 
buy  themselves  food. 

But  Jesus  said  :  "They  need  not  go  away,  it  is  for  you  to 
give  them  something  to  eat." 

"  We  have  nothing  here,"  they  said,  "except  five  loaves  and 
two  fishes." 

"  Bring  them  here  to  me,"  was  his  reply. 

Jesus  ordered  the  people  to  take  their  seats  on  the  grass  ;  and, 
.taking  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  he  looked  up  to 
Heaven,  and  said  the  blessing,  and,  after  he  had  broken  the 
loaves,  gave  them  to  his  disciples  ;  and  they  gave  them  to  the 
crowds.  Every  one  had  sufficient  to  eat,  and  they  picked  up 


MATTHEW,  14-15.  .69 

enough   of  the  broken  pieces    that   were  left    to  fill  twelve 
baskets.       The   men  who  ate  were  about  five    thousand   in     21 
number,  without  counting  women  and  children. 

jesus  Immediately  afterwards  Jesus  made  the  disci-     22 

walks  on  the  pies  get  into  a  boat  and  cross  over  in  advance  of 

water.        him,  while  he  dismissed  the  crowds.     After  dis-     23 
missing  the  crowds,  he  went  up  the  hill  by  himself  to  pray  ; 
and,   when   evening   fell,  he  was   there   alone.  The     24 

boat  was  by  this  time  some  miles  from  shore,  labouring  in  the 
waves,  for  the  wind  was  against  her.  Three  hours     25 

after  midnight,  however,  Jesus  came  towards  the  disciples, 
walking  on  the  water.     Bat,  when  they  saw  him  walking  on     26 
the  water,  they  were  terrified. 

"  It  is  a  ghost,"  they  exclaimed,  and  cried  out  for  fear.     But 
Jesus  at  once  spoke  to  them.  27 

"  Courage  !  "  he  said,  "  It  is  I  ;  do  not  be  afraid  ! " 

"  Master,"  Peter  exclaimed,  "if  it  is  you,  tell  me  to  come  to     28 
you  on  the  water." 

And  Jesus  said  :  "  Come."  29 

So  Peter  got  down  from  the  boat,  and  walked  on  the  water, 
and  went  towards  Jesus  ;  but,  when  he  felt  the  wind,  he  was     30 
frightened,  and,  beginning  to  sink,  cried  out : 

"  Master  !  Save  me  !  " 
Instantly  Jesus  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  caught  hold  of  him.     31 

"  O  man  of  little  faith  !  "  he  said,  "  Why  did  you  falter  ?  " 
When  they  had  got  into  the  boat,  the  wind  dropped.     But     32,  33 
the  men  in  the  boat  threw  themselves  on  their  faces  before 
him,  and  said  : 

"You  are  indeed  God's  Son." 

Jesus  at          When  they  had  crossed  over,  they  landed  at     34 
Gennesaret.   Gennesaret.     But  the  people  of  that  place,  recog-     35 
nizing  Jesus,  sent  out  to  the  whole  country  round,  and  brought 
to  him  all  who  were  ill,  begging  him  merely  to  let  them  touch     36 
the  tassel   of  his  cloak ;    and  all  who   touched-  were   made 
perfectly  well. 

Then  some  Pharisees  and  Teachers  of  the  Law     i  15 
Theb?amed  °"  came  to  Jesus,  and  said  : 
for  neglecting      "  How  is  it  that  your  disciples  break  the  tra-     2 

ceremonies,  ditions  of  our  ancestors  ?     For  they  do  not  wash 
their  hands  when  they  eat  food." 
His  reply  was  :  3 

"  How  is  it  that  you  on  your  side  break  God's  commandments 
out  of  respect  for  your  own  traditions  ?     For  God  said —  4 

'  Honour  thy  father  and  mother,' 
and 

'  Let  him  who  reviles  his  father  or  mother  suffer  death,' 

4  Exod.  20.  12  ;  Exod.  21.  17. 


70.  MATTHEW,  15. 

but  you  say  '  Whenever  any  one  says  to  his  father  or  mother 
"  Whatever  of  mine  might  have  been  of  service  to  you  is  '  Given 
to  God,'  "  he  is  in  no  way  bound  to  honour  his  father.'  In  this 
way  you  have  nullified  the  words  of  God  on  account  of  your 
traditions.  Hypocrites  !  It  was  well  said  by  Isaiah  when  he 
prophesied  about  you — 

'  This  is  a  people  that  honour  me  with  their  lips, 
While  their  hearts  are  far  removed  from  me  ; 
But  vainly  do  they  worship  me, 

For  they  teach  but  the  precepts  of  men.'" 

Then  Jesus  called  the  people  to  him,  and  said  : 

"Listen,  and  mark  my  words.  It  is  not  what  enters  a 
man's  mouth  that  '  defiles  '  him,  but  what  comes  out  from  his 
mouth — that  does  defile  him  !  " 

On  this  his  disciples  came  up  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  Do  you  know  that  the  Pharisees  were  shocked  on  hearing 
what  you  said  ?  " 

"  Every  plant,"  Jesus  replied,  "that  my  heavenly  Father  has 
not  planted  will  be  rooted  up.  Let  them  be ;  they  are  but 
blind  guides  ;  and,  if  one  blind  man  guides  another,  both  of 
them  will  fall  into  a  ditch." 

Upon  this,  Peter  said  to  Jesus  : 

"  Explain  this  saying  to  us." 

"What,  do  even  you  understand  nothing  yet?"  Jesus  ex- 
claimed. "  Do  not  you  see  that  whatever  goes  into  the  mouth 
passes  into  the  stomach,  and  is  afterwards  expelled  ?  But  the 
things  that  come  out  from  the  mouth  proceed  from  the  heart, 
and  it  is  these  that  defile  a  man.  For  out  of  the  heart  proceed 
evil  thoughts — murder,  adultery,  unchastity,  theft,  perjury, 
slander.  These  are  the  things  that  defile  a  man ;  but  eating 
with  unwashed  hands  does  not  defile  a  man." 

cur*  or*         On  going  away  from  that  place,  Jesus  retired  to 

Syrian  oiri    the  country  round  Tyre  and  Sidon.  There, 

noarTyro.  a  Canaanite  woman  of  that  district  came  out 
and  began  calling  to  Jesus  : 

"Take  pity  on  me,  Master,  Son  of  David  ;  my  daughter  is 
grievously  possessed  by  a  demon." 

But  Jesus  did  not  answer  her  a  word  ;  and  his  disciples  came 
up  and  begged  him  to  send  her  away. 

"She  keeps  calling  out  after  us,"  they  said. 

"  I  was  not  sent,"  replied  Jesus,  "  to  any  one  except  the  lost 
sheep  of  Israel." 

But  the  woman  came,  and,  bowing  to  the  ground  before  him, 
said  : 

"Master,  help  me 

*-•  Isa.  29.  13. 


MATTHEW,  15-16.  71 

c<  It  is  not  fair,"  replied  Jesus,  "  to  take  the  children's  food     26 
and  throw  it  to  dogs." 

"Yes,  Master,"  she  said,  "for  even  dogs  do  feed  on  the  scraps    27 
that  fall  from  their  owners'  table. " 

"  Your  faith  is  great,"  was  his  reply  to  the  woman  ;  "  it  shall     28 
be  as  vou  wish  !  " 
And  her  daughter  was  cured  that  very  hour. 

Jesus  ^n  leaving  that  place,  Jesus  went  to  the  shore     29 

cures'many  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  ;  and  then  went  up  the  hill, 

Persons.      ancj  sa^  down.      Great  crowds  of  people  came     30 
to  him,  bringing  with  them  those  who  were  lame,  crippled, 
blind,  or  dumb,  and  many  others.     They  put  them  down  at 
his  feet,  and  he  cured  them  ;  and  the  crowd  were  astonished,     31 
when  they  saw  the  dumb  talking,  the  cripples  made  sound, 
the    lame   walking   about,   and   the   blind  with    their  sight 
restored  ;  and  they  praised  the  God  of  Israel. 

Jesus  feeds        Afterwards  Jesus  called  his  disciples  to  him,     32 
four  thousand,  and  said  : 

"  My  heart  is  moved  at  the  sight  of  all  these  people,  for 
they  have  already  been  with  me  three  days  and  they  have 
nothing  to  eat ;  and  I  am  unwilling  to  send  them  away 
hungry,  for  fear  that  they  should  break  down  on  the  way." 

"  Where  can  we,"  his  disciples  asked,  "  in  a  lonely  place  find     33 
enough  bread  for  such  a  crowd  as  this  ?  " 

"  How  many  loaves  have  you  ?  "  said  Jesus.  34 

"  Seven,"  they  answered,  "  and  a  few  small  fish." 
Telling  the  crowd  to  sit  down  on  the  ground,  Jesus  took  the     35, 
seven  loaves  and  the  fish,  and,  after  saying  the  thanksgiving, 
broke  them,  and  gave  them  to  the  disciples  ;  and  the  disciples 
gave  them  to  the  crowds.     Every  one  had  sufficient  to  eat,  and     37 
they  picked  up  seven  baskets  full  of  the  broken  pieces  left.    The     38 
men  who  ate  were  four  thousand  in  number,  without  counting 
women   and    children.  Then,    after  dismissing   the     39 

crowds,  Jesus  got  into  the  boat,  and  went  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Magadan. 

signs  of          Here  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came  up,     i  j 
the  rimes,    and,  to  test  Jesus,  requested  him  to  show  them 
some  sign  from  the  heavens.     But  Jesus  answered :  2 

["  In  the  evening  you  say  '  It  will  be  fine  weather,  for  the 
sky  is  as  red  as  fire.'     But  in  the  morning  you  say  ' To-day  it     3 
will  be  stormy,  for  the  sky  is  as  red  as  fire  and  threatening.' 
You  learn  to  read  the  sky  ;  yet  you  are  unable  to  read  the  signs 
of  the  times  !]  A  wicked  and  unfaithful  generation     4 

is  asking  for  a  sign,  but  no  sign  shall  be  given  it  except 
the  sign  of  Jonah." 
So  he  left  them  and  went  away. 


72  MATTHEW,  16. 

Now  the  disciples  had  crossed  to  the  opposite     5 
warning      shore,    and   had    forgotten    to   take   any   bread. 

against  the    T*IT  •*"  s- 

Teaching     Presently  Jesus  said  to  them  :  6 

of  the  "Take  care  and  be  on  your  guard  against  the 

Pharisees.   jeaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees." 
But  the  disciples  began  talking  among  themselves  about  their    7 
having  brought  no  bread.     On  noticing  this,  Jesus  said  :  8 

"Why  are  you  talking  among  yourselves  about  your  being 
short  of  bread,  O  men  of  little  faith  ?     Do  not  you  yet  see,  nor    9 
remember  the  five  loaves  for  the  five  thousand,  and  how  many 
baskets  you  took  away  ?     Nor  yet  the  seven  loaves  for  the  four     10 
thousand,  and  how  many  basketfuls  you  took  away?      How     n 
is  it  that  you  do  not  see  that  I  was  not  speaking  about  bread  ? 
Be  on  your  guard  against  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees." 

Then  they  understood  that  he  had  told  them  to  be  on  their     12 
guard,  not  against  the  leaven  of  bread,  but  against  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 

On  coming  into  the  neighbourhood  of  Caesarea     13 
Co*nfession    Philippi,  Jesus  asked  his  disciples  this  question — 
of  "  Who  do  people  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  is?" 

the  Christ.        «  Some  say  John  the  Baptist,"  they  answered,     14 
"  others,  however,  say  that  he  is  Elijah,  while  others  again 
say  Jeremiah,  or  one  of  the  Prophets." 

"  But  you,"  he  said,  "  who  do  you  say  that  I  am  ?  "  15 

And  to  this  Simon  Peter  answered  :    "You  are  the  Christ,     16 
the  Son  of  the  Living  God." 

"Blessed    are  you,  Simon,  Son  of  Jonah,"  Jesus  replied.     17 
"  For   no    human    being   has    revealed    this  to  you;  but  my 
Father   who   is  in  Heaven.      Yes,   and  I  say  to  you,  Your     18 
name  is  'Peter' — a  Rock,  and  on  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
Church,  and  the  Powers  of  the  Place  of  Death  shall  not  pre- 
vail over  it.    I  will  give  you  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.     19 
Whatever  you  forbid  on  earth  will  be  held  in  Heaven  to  be 
forbidden,  and  whatever  you  allow  on  earth  will  be  held  in 
Heaven  to  be  allowed." 

Then  he  charged  his  disciples  not  to  tell  any  one  that  he     20 
was  the  Christ. 


Jesu.          ^At  that  time  Jesus  Christ  began  to  explain  to 
foretells  hi*  his  disciples  that  he  must  go  to  Jerusalem,  and 
Death.       undergo  much  suffering  at  the  hands  ofjthe  Coun- 
cillors, and  Chief  Priests,  and  Teachers  of  the  Law,  and  be 
put  to  death,  and  rise  on  the  third  day.     But  Peter  took  Jesus 
aside,  and  began  to  rebuke  him. 

M  Job  38.  17.     1»  Isa.  aa.  aa.     !"  Hos.  6.  a. 


MATTHEW,  ie— IT.  73 

"Master,"  he  said,  "please  God  that  shall  never  be  your 
fate ! " 
Jesus,  however,  turning  to  Peter,  said  :  23 

"  Out  of  my  way,  Satan  !    You  are  a  hindrance  to  me  ;  for 
you  look  at  things,  not  as  God  does,  but  as  man  does." 

A  can  Then  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples :  24 

to  renounce       "  If  any  man  wishes  to  walk  in  my  steps,  let  him 
self.         renounce  self,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow 
me.     For  whoever  wishes  to  save  his  life  will  lose  it,  and  who-     25 
ever,  for  my  sake,  loses  his  life  shall  find  it.      What  good     26 
will  it  do  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world,  if  he  forfeits  his  life  ? 
or  what  will  a  man  give  that  is  of  equal  value  with  his  life  ? 
For  the  Son  of  Man  is  to  come  in  his  Father's  Glory,  with  his     27 
angels,  and  then  he  '  will  give  to  every  man  what  his  actions 
deserve.'     I  tell  you,  some  of  those  who  are  standing  here  will     28 
not  know  death  till  they  have  seen  the  Son  of  Man  coming 
into  his  Kingdom." 

The  ^'x  days  later,  Jesus  took  with  him  Peter,  and     i 

Transfigure,  the  brothers  James  and  John,  and  led  them  up 

tion.         a  high  mountain  alone.     There  his  appearance     2 
was  transformed  before  their  eyes  ;  his  face  shone  like  the 
sun,  and  his  clothes  became  as  white  as  the  light.     And  all     3 
at  once  Moses  and  Elijah  appeared  to  them,  talking  with 
Jesus. 

"Master,"  exclaimed  Peter,  interposing,  "it  is  good  to  be    4 
here  ;  if  you  wish,  I  will  make  three  tents  here,  one  for  you, 
one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah." 

While  he  was  still  speaking,  a  bright  cloud  enveloped  them,  5 
and  there  was  a  voice  from  the  cloud  which  said — 

"This  is  my  Son,  the  Beloved,  in  whom  I  delight;   him 
you  must  hear." 

The  disciples,  on  hearing  this,  fell  on  their  faces,  greatly  6 
afraid.  But  Jesus  came  and  touched  them,  saying  as  he  7 
did  so  : 

"  Rise  up,  and  do  not  be  afraid." 

When  they  raised  their  eyes,  they  saw  no  one  but  Jesus  8 
himself  alone.  As  they  were  going  down  the  moun-  9 

tain  side,  Jesus  gave  them  this  warning — "Do  not  speak  of 
this  vision  to  any  one,  until  the  Son  of  Man  has  risen  from 
the  dead." 

A  Question         "  How  is  it,"  his  disciples  asked,   "that  our     10 
about  Elijah.  Teachers  of  the  Law  say  that  Elijah  has  to  come 
first?" 

"  Elijah  indeed  does  come,"  Jesus  replied,  "and  will  restore  n 
everything  ;  and  I  tell  you  that  Elijah  has  already  come,  and  12 
people  have  not  recognized  him,  but  have  treated  him  just  as 

»  Ps.  6a.  13.     6  Pa.  2.  7  ;  Isa.  42.  i.     U  Mai.  4.  5. 


74  MATTHEW,  17. 

they  pleased.     In   the   same  way,   too,   the   Son  of  Man   is 
destined  to  undergo  suffering  at  men's  hands." 
Then  the  disciples  understood  that  it  was  of  John  the  Baptist 
that  he  had  spoken  to  them. 

cure  or          When  they  came  to  the  crowd,  a  man  came  up 
an  epileptic  to  Jesus,  and,  kneeling  down  before  him,  said  : 

Boy-  "Master,    take    pity  on    my  son,    for   he    is 

epileptic  and  suffers  terribly  ;  indeed,  he  often  falls  into  the  fire 
and  into  the  water  ;  I  brought  him  to  your  disciples,  but  they 
could  not  cure  him." 

The  Power        "O  faithless  and  perverse  generation  !"  Jesus 
of  Faith,      exclaimed,   "how  long  must  I  be  among  you? 
how  long  must  I  have  patience  with  you  ?     Bring  the  boy 
here  to  me." 

Then  Jesus  rebuked  the  demon,  and  it  came  out  of  the  boy ; 
and  he  was  cured  from  that  very  hour.  Afterwards  the 

disciples  came  up  to  Jesus,  and  asked  him  privately:  "Why 
was  it  that  we  could  not  drive  it  out  ?  " 

"Because  you  have  so  little  faith,"  he  answered;  "for,  I 
tell  you,  if  your  faith  were  only  like  a  mustard-seed,  you 
could  say  to  this  mountain  '  Move  from  this  place  to  that ! ' 
and  it  would  be  moved  ;  and  nothing  would  be  impossible 
to  you." 


While  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were  together  in     22 

a  eecond^«me,Galilee'   he  said  to  th.em  : 

foretells           ' '  The  Son  of  Man  is  destined  to  be  betrayed  into 
his  Death.     ftiQ  hands  of  his  fellow-men,  and  they  will  put     23 

him  to  death,  but  on  the  third  day  he  will  rise." 

And  the  disciples  were  greatly  distressed. 

A  Question        After  they  had  reached  Capernaum,  the  collec-    24 
about  the     tors  of  the  Temple-rate  came  up  to  Peter,  and 

Temple-rate.   said  : 

"  Does  not  your  Master  pay  the  Temple-rate  ?  " 

"Yes,"  answered  Peter.  25 

But,  on  going  into  the  house,  before  he  could  speak,  Jesus 

said  : 

"What   do  you   think,    Simon?     From  whom  do  earthly 

kings   take   taxes  or  tribute  ?     From    their  sons,   or    from 

others  ?  " 

"  From  others,"  answered  Peter.  26 

"Well  then,"  continued  Jesus,  "their  sons  go  free.     Still,     27 

that  we  may  not  shock  them,  go  and  throw  a  line  into  the 

Sea ;  take  the  first  fish  that  rises,  open  its  mouth,  and  you 

"  Deut.  3».  5.    28  HOB.  6.  a. 


MATTHEW,  17-18.  75 

will  find  in  it  a  piece  of  money.     Take  that,  and  give  it  to  the 
collectors  for  both  of  us. " 

on  On  the  same  occasion  the  dfsciples  came  to     i 

Humility.     Jesus,  and  asked  him  : 

"Who  is  really  the  greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?" 
Jesus  called  a  little  child  to  him,  and  placed  it  in  the  middle  of    2 
them,  and  then  said  :  3 

"I    tell   you,    unless   you   change   and    become   like   little 
children,  you  will  not  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  at  all. 
Therefore,  any  one  who  will  humble  himself  like  this  child —    4 
that  man  shall  be  the  greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.     And     5 
any  one  who,  for  the  sake  of  my  Name,  welcomes  even  one 
little  child  like  this,  is  welcoming  me.     But,  if  any  one  puts  a     6 
Against      snare  in  the  way  of  one  of  these  lowly  ones  who 

hindering     believe  in  me,  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  be  sunk 
others.       jn  fae  depths  of  the  sea  with  a  great  millstone 
hung  round  his  neck.  Alas  for  the  world  because  of    7 

such  snares  !     There  cannot  but  be  snares  ;  yet  alas  for  the 
man  who  is  answerable  for  the  snare  ! 

If  your  hand  or  your  foot  is  a  snare  to  you,  cut  it  off,  and     8 
throw  it  away.     It  would  be  better  for  you  to  enter  the  Life 
maimed  or  lame,  than  to  have  both  hands,  or  both  feet,  and 
be  thrown  into  the  aeonian  fire.     If  your  eye  is  a  snare  to  you,     9 
take  it  out,  and  throw  it  away.     It  would  be  better  for  you  to 
enter  the  Life  with  only  one  eye,  than  to  have  both  eyes  and 
be  thrown  into  the  fiery  Pit. 

Beware  of  despising  one  of  these  lowly  ones,  for  in  Heaven,     10 
I  tell  you,  their  angels  always  see  the  face  of  my  Father 
who  is   in    Heaven.     What   think  you?     If  a  man  owns  a     12 
Parable      hundred  sheep,  and  one  of  them  strays,  will  he 
of  the        not  leave  the  ninety-nine  on  the  hills,  and  go  and 
lost  sheep,    search  for  the  one  that  is  straying?     And,  if  he     13 
succeeds  in  finding  it,  I  tell  you  that  he  rejoices  more  over  that 
one  sheep  than  over  the  ninety-nine  which  did  not  stray.     So,     14 
too,  it  is  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  Heaven  that  not  one 
of  these  lowly  ones  should  be  lost. 
on  dealing        ^  your  Brother  does  wrong,  go  to  him  and     15 

with         convince  him  of  his  fault  when  you  and  he  are 
wrong-doers,  alone.     If  he  listens  to  you,  you  have  won  your 
Brother.     But,  if  he  does  not  listen  to  you,  take  with  you  one     16 
or  two  others,    so   that    '  on   the   evidence  of  two  or   three 
witnesses,  every  word  may  be  put  beyond  dispute.'     If  he     17 
refuses  to  listen  to  them,  speak  to  the  Church  ;  and,  if  he  also 
refuses  to  listen  to  the  Church,  treat  him  as  you  would  a 
Gentile  or  a  tax-gatherer. 

I    tell   you,   all   that   you   forbid  on  earth  will   be   held  in     18 
Heaven  to  be  forbidden,  and  all  that  you  allow  on  earth  will 

16  Deut.  19.  15. 


76  MATTHEW,  18—19.  ' 

be  held  in  Heaven  to  be  allowed.  Again,  I  tell  you     19 

Encourage-    that,  if  but  two  of  you  on  earth  agree  as  to  what 
ment  to      they  shall  pray  for,   whatever  it  be,  it  will  be 
united  Prayer,  granted  them  by  my  Father  who  is  in  Heaven. 
For  where  two  or  three  have  come  together  in  my  Name,  I     20 
am  present  with  them." 

Then  Peter  came  up,  and  said  to  Jesus  :  21 

'of-The*  "  Master,  how  often  am  I  to  forgive  my  Brother 

unforgiving'  when    he    wrongs    me?      As    many    as    seven 


But  Jesus  answered  :  22 

"Not  seven  times,  but  '  seventy  times  seven.  '  And  there-     23 

fore  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  may  be  compared  to  a  king  who 
wished  to  settle  accounts  with  his  servants.  When  he  had  begun     24 
to  do  so,  one  of  them  was  brought  to  him  who  owed  him  six 
million  pounds  ;  and,  as  he  could  not  pay,  his  master  ordered     25 
him  to  be  sold  towards  the  payment  of  the  debt,  togetherwith  his 
wife,  and  his  children,  and  everything  that  he  had.    Thereupon     26 
the  servant  threw  himself  down  on  the  ground  before  him  and 
said  'Have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  you  all.'     The     27 
master  was  moved  with  compassion  ;  and  he  let  him  go,  and 
forgave  him  the  debt.     But,  on  going  out,  that  same  servant     28 
came  upon  one   of  his   fellow-servants   who   owed   him    ten 
pounds.    Seizing  him  by  the  throat,  he  said  '  Pay  what  you  owe 
me.'     Thereupon    his   fellow-servant   threw   himself  on   the     29 
ground,  and  begged  for  mercy.     '  Have  patience  with  me,'  he 
said,  'and  I  will  pay  you.'    But  the  other  would  not,  but  went     30 
and  put  him  in  prison  till  he  should  pay  his  debt.     When  his     31 
fellow-servants  saw  what  had  happened,  they  were  greatly 
distressed,    and    went   to   their    master  and   laid   the   whole 
matter  before  him.    Upon  that  the  master  sent  for  the  servant,     32 
and  said  to  him  '  You  wicked  servant  !     When  you  begged 
me  for  mercy,  I  forgave  you  the  whole  of  that  debt.     Ought     33 
not  you,  also,  to  have  shown  mercy  to  your  fellow-servant,  just 
as   I   showed  mercy  to  you  ?  '     Then  his  master,   in  anger,     34 
handed  him  over  to  the  gaolers,  until  he  should  pay  the  whole 
of  his  debt.  So,  also,  will  my  heavenly  Father  do  to  you,     35 

unless  each  one  of  you  forgives  his  Brother  from  his  heart." 


IV.— THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM. 

A  Question        ^  ^le  conclusion  of  this  teaching,  Jesus  with- 
about         drew  from  Galilee,  and  went  into  that  district  of 
Divorce.      Judaea  which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan. 
Great  crowds  followed  him,  and  he  cured  them  there, 

22  Gen.  4.  24. 


MATTHEW,  19.  77 

Presently  some  Pharisees  came  up  to  him,  and,  to  test  him,     3 
said  :  ' '  Has  a  man  the  right  to  divorce  his  wife  for  every 
cause  ?  " 

"  Have  not  you  read,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  at  the  beginning     4 
the  Creator  '  made  them  male  and  female,'  and  said—  5 

'  For  this  reason  a  man  shall  leave  his  father  and  mother, 

and  be  united  to  his  wife,  and  the  man  and  his  wife  shall 

become  one '  ? 

So  that  they  are  no  longer  two,  but  one.     What  God  himself,     6 
then,  has  yoked  together  man  must  not  separate." 

"Why,  then,"  they  said,  "did  Moses  direct  that  a  man  should     7 
'  serve  his  wife  with  a  notice  of  separation  and  divorce  her  '  ?  " 

"  Moses,  owing  to  the  hardness  of  your  hearts,"  answered     8 
Jesus,  "permitted  you  to  divorce  your  wives,  but  that  was 
not  so  at  the  beginning.     But  I  tell  you  that  any  one  who     9 
divorces  his  wife,  except  on  the  ground  of  her  unchastity,  and 
marries  another  woman,  is  guilty  of  adultery." 

"  If  that,"  said  the  disciples,  "  is  the  position  of  a  man  with     10 
regard  to  his  wife,  it  is  better  not  to  marry." 

"  It  is  not  every  one, "replied  Jesus,  "who  can  accept  this     n 
teaching,  but  only  those  who  have  been  enabled  to  do  so. 
Some   men,   it  is  true,   have   from   birth   been   disabled   for     12 
marriage,  while  others  have  been  disabled  by  their  fellow  men, 
and  others  again  have  disabled  themselves  for  the  sake  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.     Let  him  accept  it  who  can." 

Jesus  blesses      Then  some  little  children  were  brought  to  Jesus,     .13 
uttie         for  him  to  place  his  hands  on  them,  and  pray  ; 

children,      but  the  disciples  found  fault  with  those  who  had 
brought  them.     Jesus,  however,  said  :  14 

"Let  the  little  children  come  to  me,  and  do  not  hinder 
them,  for  it  is  to  the  childlike  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
belongs." 
So  he  placed  his  hands  on  them,  and  then  went  on  his  way.         15 


-  a  man  came  up  to  Jesus,  and  said  :  16 

sponsibiiities      "  Teacher,  what  good  thing  must  I  do  to  obtain 
of  wealth,     i  mmortal  Life  ?  " 

"  Why  ask  me  about  goodness?"  answered  Jesus.     "  There     17 
is  but  One  who  is  good.     If  you  want  to  enter  the  Life,  keep 
the  commandments." 

"What  commandments ?  "  asked  the  man.  18 

"  These,"  answered  Jesus  : — 

"  '  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 
Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou  shalt  not  say  what  is  false  about 
others.  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother.'  19 

And 

'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  thyself." 
4  Gen.  i.  27.    6  Gen.  a.  24.    1  Deut.  24.  i.    J8— 19  Exod.  20.  12—17  '•  Lev.  19.  18. 


78  MATTHEW,  19-2O. 

"  I  have  observed  all  these,"  said  the  young  man.     "What     20 
is  still  wanting  in  me  ?  " 

"  If  you  wish  to  be  perfect,"  answered  Jesus,  "  go  and  sell     21 
your  property,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  you  shall  have  wealth 
in  Heaven  ;  then  come  and  follow  me." 

On  hearing  these  words,  the  young  man  went  away  distressed,     22 
for  he  had  great  possessions. 

At  this,  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples  :  23 

"  I  tell  you  that  a  rich  man  will  find  it  hard  to  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  !     I  say  again,  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to     24 
get  through  a  needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  !  " 
On  hearing  this,  the  disciples  exclaimed  in  great  astonishment :     25 

"  Who  then  can  possibly  be  saved  ?  " 
But  Jesus  looked  at  them,  and  said  :  26 

"  With  men  this  is  impossible,  but  with  God  everything  is 
possible." 

Then  Peter  turned  and  said  to  Jesus  : 

"But  we — we  left  everything,   and   followed  you;    what,     27 
then,  shall  we  have  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "that  at  the  New  Creation,     28 
1  when  the  Son  of  Man  takes  his  seat  on  his  throne  of  glory,' 
you  who  followed  me  shall  be  seated  upon  twelve  thrones,  as 
judges  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.     Every  one  who  has  left     29 
houses,  or  brothers,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  children, 
or  land,  on  account  of  my  Name,  will  receive  many  times  as 
much,  and  will  'gain  Immortal  Life.'  But  many  who     30 

are  first  now  will  then  be  last,  and  those  who  are  last  will  be 
first.  For  the   Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  an   em-     i 

ployer  who  went  out  in  the  early  morning  to  hire 
Parable      labourers  for  his  vineyard.     He  agreed  with  the     2 

OT  tnc  -      .  _          •"  .    ».|.  •  m 

Labourer*     labourers  to  pay  them  two  shillings  a  day,  and 
in  the        sent    them    into    his  vineyard.      On   going   out     3 

vineyard.     aga;n(  about  nine  o'clock,  he  saw  some  others 
standing  in  the  market-place,  doing  nothing.     '  You  also  may    4 
go  into  my  vineyard,'  he  said,  'and  I  will  pay  you  what  is 
fair.'     So  the  men  went.     Going  out  again  about  mid-day  and     5 
about  three  o'clock,  he  did  as  before.     When  he  went  out  about    6 
five,  he  found  some  other  men  standing  there,  and  said  to 
them  '  Why  have  you  been  standing  here  all  day  long,  doing 
nothing? ' 

'  Because  no  one  has  hired  us,'  they  answered.  7 

'You  also  may  go  into  my  vineyard,'  he  said. 
In  the  evening  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  said  to  his  steward     8 
'  Call  the  labourers,  and  pay  them  their  wages,  beginning  with 
the  last,  and  ending  with  the  first.'     Now  when  those  who     9 
had  been  hired  about  five  o'clock  went  up,  they  received  two 
shillings  each.     So,  when   the   first   went   up,   they  thought     10 

2*  Enoch  6a.  3  ;  108.  ia.     »  Enoch  40.  9. 


MATTHEW,  2O.  79 

that  they  would   receive   more,  but   they  also   received   two 
shillings  each;    on  which   they  began  to  grumble  at   their     n 
employer. 

'These  last,'  they  said,  'have  done  only  one  hour's  work,     12 
and  yet  you  have  put  them  on  the  same  footing  with  us,  who 
have  borne  the  brunt  of  the  day's  work,  and  the  heat.' 

'  My  friend,'  was  his  reply  to  one  of  them,  '  I  am  not  treat-     13 
ing  you  unfairly.     Did  not  you  agree  with  me  for  two  shillings  ? 
Take  what  belongs  to  you,  and  go.     I  choose  to  give  to  this     14 
last  man  the  same  as  to  you.     Have  not  I  the  right  to  do  as  I     15 
choose  with  what  is  mine  ?     Are  you  envious  because  I  am 
liberal  ?  '  So  those  who  are  last  will  be  first,  and  the     16 

first  last." 


When  Jesus  was  on  the  point  of  going  up  to     17 
a  thje«Tt/me,  Jerusalem,  he  gathered  the  twelve  disciples  round 
foretells      him  by  themselves,  and  said  to  them  as  they  were 

his  Death.      on  t|lejr  way  . 

"  Listen  !  We  are  going  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  there  the  Son     18 
of  Man  will  be  betrayed  to  the  Chief  Priests  and  Teachers  of 
the  Law,  and  they  will  condemn  him  to  death,  and  give  him     19 
up  to  the  Gentiles  for  them  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to 
crucify  ;  and  on  the  third  day  he  will  rise." 

Then  the  mother  of  Zebediah's  sons  came  to     20 
oVthrMoth'er  nmi  with  her  sons,   bowing  to  the  ground,  and 

of  James      begging  a  favour. 

and  John.         «  what  is  it  that  you  want  ?"  he  asked.  21 

"  I  want  you  to  say,"  she  replied,  "that  in  your  Kingdom 
these  two  sons  of  mine  may  sit,  one  on  your  right,  and  the 
other  on  your  left." 

"  You  do  not  know  what  you  are  asking,"  was  Jesus'  answer.     22 
"  Can  you  drink  the  cup  that  I  am  to  drink  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  they  exclaimed,  "we  can." 

"You  shall  indeed  drink  my  cup,"  he  said,   "but   as   to     23 
a  seat  at  my  right  and  at  my  left — that  is  not  mine  to  give,  but 
it  is  for  those  for  whom  it  has  been  prepared  by  my  Father." 
On  hearing  of  this,  the  ten  others  were  very  indignant  about     24 
the  two  brothers.     Jesus,  however,  called  the  ten  to  him,  and     25 
said  : 
The  Dignity        "  The  rulers  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them 

of  service,    as  you  know,  and  their  great  men  oppress  them. 
Among  you  it  is  not  so.     No,  whoever  wants  to  become  great     26, 
among  you  must  be  your  servant,  and  whoever  wants  to  take 
the  first  place  among  you,  must  be  your  slave  ;  just  as  the     28 

9  Hos.  6.  a, 


80  MATTHEW,  2O— 21. 

Son  of  Man  came,  not  to  be  served,  but  to  serve,  and  to  give 
his  life  as  a  ransom  for  many. " 

As  they  were  going  out  of  Jericho,  a  great     29 

two  blind     crowd  followed  him.     Two  blind  men  who  were     30 

"ton.         sitting  by  the  road-side,  hearing  that  Jesus  was 
passing,  called  out : 

"  Take  pity  on  us,  Master,  Son  of  David  !  " 

The  crowd  told  them  to  be  quiet ;  but  the  men  only  called  out     31 
the  louder : 

"Take  pity  on  us,  Master,  Son  of  David  !  " 
Then  Jesus  stopped  and  called  them.  32 

1 '  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Master,"  they  replied,  "  we  want  our  eyes  to  be  opened."  33 
So  Jesus,  moved  with  compassion,  touched  their  eyes,  and  34 
immediately  they  recovered  their  sight,  and  followed  him. 


V. — THE  LAST  DAYS. 

jesu«  enters      When   they   had   almost   reached    Jerusalem,     i 
Jerusalem,    having  come  as  far  as  Bethphage,  on  the  Mount 

of  Olives,  Jesus  sent  on  two  disciples. 

"Go  to  the  village  facing  you,"  he  said,   "and  you  will     2 

immediately  find  an  ass  tethered,  with  a  foal  by  her  s-ide  ; 

untie  her,  and  lead  her  here  for  me.     And,  if  any  one  says     3 

anything  to  you,   you  are  to  say  this — '  The   Master  wants 

them  ' ;  and  he  will  send  them  at  once." 

This  happened  in  fulfilment  of  these  words  in  the  Prophet —       4 

'  Say  to  the  daughter  of  Zion —  5 

"  Behold,  thy  King  is  coming  to  thee, 
Gentle,  and  riding  on  an  ass, 
And  on  the  foal  of  a  beast  of  burden." ' 

So  the  disciples  went  and  did  as  Jesus  had  directed  them.     6 
They  led  the  ass  and  the  foal  back,  and,  when  they  had  put     7 
their  cloaks  on  them,  he  seated  himself  upon  them.     The     8 
immense  crowd  of  people  spread  their  cloaks  in  the  road, 
while  some  cut  branches  off  the  trees,  and  spread  them  on  the 
road.     The  crowds  that  led  the  way,  as  well  as  those  that    9 
followed  behind,  kept  shouting  : 

"  God  save  the  Son  of  David  ! 

Blessed  is  He  who  conies  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! 
God  save  him  from  on  high  ! " 

When  he  had  entered  Jerusalem,  the  whole  city  was  stirred,  10 
and  asked — "Who  is  this?",  to  which  the  crowd  replied —  n 
"This  is  the  Prophet  Jesus  from  Nazareth  in  Galilee." 

•'•  K.I.  62.  ii  ;  Zech.  9.  9.    '•'  Pa.  118.  25—16 ;  PR.  148.  i. 


MATTHEW,  21.  81 

Jesus  Jesus  went  into  the  Temple  Courts,  and  drove     12 

in  the        out  all  those  who  were  buying  and  selling  there. 
Temple.      fje  overturned  the  tables  of  the  money-changers, 
and  the  seats  of  the  pigeon-dealers,  and  said  to  them  :  13 

"  Scripture  says — 

'  My  House  shall  be  called  a  House  of  Prayer ' ; 

but  you  are  making  it  '  a  den  of  robbers. ' ' 

While  he  was  still  in  the  Temple  Courts,  some  blind  and  some     14 
lame  people  came  up  to  him,  and  he  cured  them.  But,     15 

when  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  saw  the 
wonderful  things  that  Jesus  did,  and  the  boys  who  were  calling 
out  in  the  Temple  Courts  "  God  save  the  Son  of  David  !  ",  they 
were  indignant,  and  said  to  him  :  16 

"  Do  you  hear  what  these  boys  are  saying  ?  " 
"Yes,  "answered  Jesus;  "  butdidyou  never  read  the  words — 

'  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  suckling's  thou  hast  called 
forth  perfect  praise '  ?  " 

Then  he  left  them,  and  went  out  of  the  city  to  Bethany,  and     17 
spent  the  night  there. 

Tne  The  next  morning,  in  returning  to  the  city,  Jesus     18 

fruitless      became  hungry  ;  and,  noticing  a  solitary  fig  tree     19 
Fie  Tree,     by  the  road-side,  he  went  up  to  it,  but  found 
nothing  on  it  but  leaves.     So  he  said  to  it : 

"  Never  again  shall  fruit  be  gathered  off  you." 
And  suddenly  the  fig  tree  withered  up.     When  the  disciples     20 
saw  this,  they  exclaimed  in  astonishment : 
"  How  suddenly  the  fig  tree  withered  up  !  " 

"I    tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,   "if  you  have  faith,  withont     21 
ever  a  doubt,  you  will  do  not  only  what  has  been  done  to  the 
fig  tree,  but,  even  if  you  should  say  to  this  hill  '  Be  lifted  up 
and  hurled  into   the   sea ! ',  it  would   be   done.     And  what-     22 
ever  you  ask  for  in  your  prayers  will,  if  you  have  faith,  be 
granted  you." 

Jesus  After  Jesus  had  come  into  the  Temple  Courts,     23 

and  the      the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Councillors  of  the  Nation 
chief  Priests,  came  up  to  him  as  he  was  teaching,  and  said  : 

"  What  authority  have  you  to  do  these  things  ?     Who  gave 
you  this  authority  ?  " 

"  I,  too,"  said  Jesus  in  reply,  "  will  ask  you  one  question  ;  if    24 
you  will  give  me  an  answer  to  it,  then  I,  also,  will  tell  you 
what  authority  I  have  to  act  as   I  do.     It  is  about  John's     25 
baptism.     What  was  its  origin  ?  divine  or  human  ?  " 
But  they  began  arguing  among  themselves  : 

"  If  we  say  '  divine,'  he  will  say  to  us  '  Why  then  did  not  you 

13  Isa.  56.  7 ;  Jer.  7.  11.    "  ps.  g.  2. 


82  MATTHEW,  21. 

believe  him?'     But  if  we  say  'human,'  we  are  afraid  of  the     26 

people,  for  every  one  regards  John  as  a  Prophet." 

So  the  answer  they  gave  Jesus  was — "  We  do  not  know."  27 

"Then  I,"  he  said,  "  refuse  to  tell  you  what  authority  I  have 
to  do  these  things.  What  do  you  think  of  this  ?    There     28 

Parable      was  a  man  wh°  'iac^  two  sons.     He  went  to  the 
of  the       elder  and   said  '  Go  and  work  in  the  vineyard 

two  sons,     to-day,  my  son.' 

'  Yes,  sir,'  he  answered  ;  but  he  did  not  go.    Then  the  father    29, 
went  to  the  second  son,  and  said  the  same.     '  I  will  not,'  he 
answered  ;    but  afterwards  he  was  sorry  and  went.     Which     31 
of  the  two  sons  did  as  his  father  wished  ?  " 

"  The  second,"  they  said. 

"  I  tell  you,"  added  Jesus,  "that  tax-gatherers  and  prosti- 
tutes are  going  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  before  you.  For  32 
when  John  came  to  you,  walking  in  the  path  of  righteousness, 
you  did  not  believe  him,  but  tax-gatherers  and  prostitutes 
did  ;  and  yet  you,  though  you  saw  this,  even  then  were  not 
sorry,  nor  did  you  believe  him. 

Parable           Listen  to  another  parable.  A  man,  who     33 

of  the  wicked  was  an  employer,  once  planted  a  vineyard,  put  a 
Tenant*,      fence  round  it,   dug  a  winepress  in  it,   built  a 
tower,  and  then  let  it  out  to  tenants  and  went  abroad.     When     34 
the  time  for  the  vintage  drew  near,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the 
tenants,  to  receive  his  share  of  the  produce.     But  the  tenants     35 
seized  his  servants,  beat  one,  killed  another,  and  stoned  a 
third.     A  second  time  the  owner  sent  some  servants,  a  larger     36 
number  than  before,  and  the  tenants  treated  them  in  the  same 
way.     As  a  last  resource  he  sent  his  son  to  them.     '  They  will     37 
respect  my  son,'  he  said.     But  the  tenants,  on  seeing  his  son,     38 
said  to   each   other    '  Here  is   the   heir !      Come,    let   us   kill 
him,  and  get  his  inheritance.'     So  they  seized  him,  and  threw     39 
him  outside  the  vineyard,  and  killed  him.     Now,  when  the     40 
owner  of   the   vineyard   conies,    what   will    he    do   to   those 
tenants  ?  " 

"  Miserable  wretches  !  "  they  exclaimed,  "  he  will  put  them     41 
to  a  miserable  death,  and  he  will  let  out  the  vineyard  to  other 
tenants,  who  will  pay  him  his  share  of  the  produce  at  the 
proper  times." 
Then  Jesus  added  :  "  Have  you  never  read  in  the  Scriptures? —    42 

'  The  very  stone  which  the  builders  despised — 

Has  now  itself  become  the  corner-stone  ; 
This  corner-stone  has  come  from  the  Lord, 
And  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.' 

And  that,  I   tell  you,  is  why  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  be    43 
taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  that  does  produce 

x  Isa.  5.  i— a.    «  Ps.  118.  aa. 


MATTHEW,  21-22.  83 

the  fruit  of  the  Kingdom.  Yes,  and  he-  who  falls  on     44 

this  stone  will  be  dashed  to  pieces,  while  any  one  on  whom  it 
falls — it  will  scatter  him  as  dust." 

After  listening  to  these  parables,  the  Chief  Priests  and  the     45 
Pharisees  saw  that  it  was  about  them  that  he  was  speaking ; 
yet,  although  eager  to  arrest  him,  they  were  afraid  of  the     46 
crowds,  who  regarded  him  as  a  Prophet. 

Once  more  Jesus  spoke  to  them  in  parables.  i 

"  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  he  said,  "may  be     2 

'oi^he*       compared    to   a   king   who   gave   a   banquet   in 

Marriage     honour   of    his    son's    wedding.      He    sent    his     3 

Feast.        servants  to  call  those  who  had  been  invited  to  the 
banquet,  but  they  were  unwilling  to  come.     A  second  time  he     4 
sent  some  servants,  with  orders  to  say  to  those  who  had  been 
invited   '  I    have  prepared  my  breakfast,   my  cattle  and   fat 
beasts  are  killed  and  everything  is  ready;  come  to  the  banquet.' 
They,  however,  took  no  notice,  but  went  off,  one  to  his  farm,     5 
another  to  his  business  ;  while  the  rest,  seizing  his  servants,     6 
ill-treated  them  and  killed  them.     The  king,  in  anger,  sent    7 
his  troops,  put  those  murderers  to  death,  and  set  their  city  on 
fire.     Then   he   said   to   his   servants   '  The   banquet   is   pre-    8 
pared,  but   those   who   were   invited    were   not   worthy.     So     9 
go  to  the  cross-roads,  and  invite  every  one  you  find  to  the 
banquet.'     The  servants  went  out  into  the  roads  and  collected     10 
all  the  people  whom  they  found,  whether  bad  or  good  ;  and 
the  bridal-hall  was  filled  with  guests.     But,  when  the  king  went     1 1 
in  to  see  his  guests,  he  noticed  there  a  man  who  had  not  put 
on  a  wedding-robe.     So  he  said  to  him  '  My  friend,  how  is  it     12 
that  you  came  in  here  without  a  wedding-robe  ? '    The  man  was 
speechless.     Then  the  king  said  to  the  attendants  'Tie  him     13 
hand  and  foot,  and  '  put  him  out  into  the  darkness '  outside, 
where  there  will   be  weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth.'     For     14 
many  are  called,  but  few  chosen." 

A  Question        Then  the  Pharisees  went  away  and  conferred     15 
about        together  as  to  how  they  might  lay  a  snare  for 

Tribute.      Jesus  in  the  course  of  conversation.     They  sent     16 
their  disciples,  with  the  Herodians,  to  say  to  him  : 

"Teacher,  we  know  that  you  are  an  honest  man,  and  that 
you  teach  the  Way  of  God  honestly,  and  are  not  afraid  of  any 
one  ;  for  you  pay  no  regard  to  a  man's  position.     Tell  us,     17 
then,  what  you  think.     Are  we  right  in  paying  taxes  to  the 
Emperor,  or  not  ?  " 
Perceiving  their  malice,  Jesus  answered  :  18 

"Why  are  you  testing  me,  you  hypocrites?     Show  me  the     19 
coin  with  which  the  tax  is  paid." 
And,  when  they  had  brought  him  a  florin,  he  asked  :  20 

"  Whose  head  and  title  are  these  ?  " 

18  Enoch  10.  4. 


84  MATTHEW,  22. 

"The   Emperor's,"  they  answered:   on  which  he  said  to     21 
them  : 

"Then  pay  to  the  Emperor  what  belongs  to  the  Emperor, 
and  to  God  what  belongs  to  God." 

They  wondered  at  his  answer,  and  left  him  alone  and  went     22 
away. 

A  Question        That  same  day  some  Sadducees  came  up  to     23 
about  the     Jesus,  maintaining  that  there  is  no  resurrection. 
Resurrection.  Their  question  was  this  :— 
"Teacher,  Moses  said —  24 

'  Should  a  man  die  without  children,  the  man's  brother  shall 
become  the  husband  of  the  widow,  and  raise  a  family  for  his 
brother.' 

Now  we  had  living  among  us  seven  brothers  ;  of  whom  the  25 
eldest  married  and  died,  and,  as  he  had  no  family,  left  his  wife 
for  his  brother.  The  same  thing  happened  to  the  second  and  26 
the  third  brothers,  and  indeed  to  all  the  seven.  The  woman  27 
herself  died  last  of  all.  At  the  resurrection,  then,  whose  28 
wife  will  she  be  out  of  the  seven,  all  of  them  having  had  her  ?  " 

"  Your  mistake,"  replied  Jesus,  "  is  due  to  your  ignorance  of    29 
the  Scriptures,  and  of  the  power  of  God.     For  at  the  resur-     30 
rection  there  is  no  marrying  or  being  married,  but  all  who  rise 
are  as  angels  in  Heaven.     As  to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,     31 
have  you  not  read  these  words  of  God — 

'  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the         32 
God  of  Jacob  '  ? 

He  is  not  the  God  of  dead  men,  but  of  living." 

The  crowds,  who  had  been  listening  to  him,  were  greatly     33 

struck  with  his  teaching. 

The  oreat        When    the    Pharisees   heard    that  Jesus    had  34 
command-    silenced  the  Sadducees,  they  collected  together. 

mont.        Then  one  of  them,  a  Student  of  the  Law,  to  test  35 
him,  asked  this  question — 

"Teacher,  what  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  Law?"  36 

His  answer  was  :  37 

"  '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  wjth  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.' 

This  is  the  great  first  commandment.     The  second,  which     38, 
is  like  it,  is  this — 

'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  thyself.' 

On   these  two  commandments   hang  all   the  Law  and   the    40 
Prophets." 

*  Deut.  35.  5.    33  Exod.  3,  6,    37  pwt.  $,  s.    89  Lev.  19.  18. 


MATTHEW,  22—23.  85 

Christ  Before  the  Pharisees  separated,  Jesus  put  this     41 

the  son  ot    question  to  them — 

David.  «  What  do  you  think  about  the  Christ  ?   Whose     42 

son  is  he  ?  " 

"  David's,"  they  said. 

"How  is  it,  then,"  Jesus  replied,   "that  David,  speaking    43 
under  inspiration,  calls  him  '  lord,'  in  the  passage — 

'  The  Lord  said  to  my  lord  :  "  Sit  at  my  right  hand,  44 

Until  I  put  thy  enemies  beneath  thy  feet  " '  ? 

Since,  then,  David  calls  him  'lord,'  how  is  he  David's  son?"  45 
No  one  could  say  a  word  in  answer  ;  nor  did  any  one  after  46 
that  day  venture  to  question  him  further. 

Then  Jesus,  speaking  to  the  crowds  and  to  his  disciples,     i 
said :  2 

warnings         "The  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  the  Pharisees 
against  the  now   occupy    the    chair    of    Moses.      Therefore     3 
Teachers  of  practise  and  lay  to  heart  everything:  that  they  tell 

the  Law.  ,       ,      ,  .     r  11  j.i_    •  '       i         r         ^i 

you,  but  do  not  follow  their  example,  for  they 
preach  but  do  not  practise.     While  they  make  up  heavy  loads    .4 
and  pile  them  on  other  men's  shoulders,  they  decline,  them- 
selves, to  lift  a  finger  to  move  them.     All  their  actions  are     5 
done   to   attract  attention.     They  widen    their  phylacteries, 
and  increase  the  size  of  their  tassels,  and  like  to  have  the  place     6 
of  honour  at  dinner,  and  the  best  seats  in  the  Synagogues,  and     7 
to  be  greeted  in  the  markets  with  respect,  and  to  be  called 
1  Rabbi '  by  everybody.     But  do  not  you  allow  yourselves  to  be     8 
called  '  Rabbi,'  for  you  have  only  one  Teacher,  and  you  your- 
selves are  all  Brothers.     And  do  not  call  any  one  on  the  earth     9 
your  '  Father,'  for  you  have  only  one  Father,  the  heavenly 
Father.     Nor  must  you  allow  yourselves  to  be  called  '  Leaders,'     10 
for  you  have  only  one  Leader,  the  Christ.    The  man  who  would     1 1 
be  the  greatest  among  you  must  be  your  servant.  Who-     12 

ever  shall  exalt  himself  will  be  humbled,  and  whoever  shall 
humble  himself  will  be  exalted. 

Jesus  ^ut  a^as  f°r  y°u>  Teachers  of  the  Law  and     14 

denounces  Pharisees,  hypocrites  that  you  are  !  You  turn 
the  Pharisees,  the  key  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  in  men's  faces. 
For  you  do  not  go  in  yourselves,  nor  yet  allow  those  who  try 
to  go  in  to  do  so.  Alas  for  you,  Teachers  of  the  Law  15 

and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  that  you  are !  You  scour  land 
and  sea  to  make  a  single  convert,  and,  when  he  is  gained, 
you  'make  him  twice  as  deserving  of  the  Pit  as  you  are 
yourselves.  Alas  for  you,  you  blind  guides !  You  16 

say  '  If  any  one  swears  by  the  Temple,  his  oath  counts  for 
nothing  ;  but,  if  any  one  swears  by  the  gold  of  the  Temple,  his 

«  Ps.  no.  i. 


86  MATTHEW,  23. 

oath  is  binding  on  him ' !     Fools  that  you  are  and   blind  !     17 
Which   is  the  more  important  ?    the  gold  ?    or  the  Temple 
which   has   given   sacredness   to  the   gold  ?     You   say,    too,     18 
'  If  any  one  swears  by  the  altar,  his  oath  counts  for  nothing, 
but,  if  any  one  swears  by  the  offering  placed  on  it,  his  oath 
is   binding   on   him ' !     Blind   indeed  !     Which   is   the   more     19 
important?   the  offering?   or  the  altar  which  gives  sacred- 
ness   to   the   offering  ?     Therefore   a  man,  swearing  by   the     20 
altar,    swears   by  it  and   by  all  that  is  on  it,  and  a  man,     21 
swearing   by   the  Temple,    swears    by  it   and  by   him  who 
dwells  in  it,  while  a  man,  swearing  by  Heaven,  swears   by     22 
the  throne  of  God,  and  by  him  who  sits  upon  it.  Alas     23 

for  you,  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  that 
you  are  !  You  pay  tithes  on  mint,  fennel,  and  car ra way-seed, 
and  have  neglected  the  weightier  matters  of  the  Law — justice, 
mercy,  and  good  faith.  These  last  you  ought  to  have  put 
into  practice,  without  neglecting  the  first.  You  blind  guides,  24 
to  strain  out  a  gnat  and  to  swallow  a  camel  !  Alas  for  25 

you,  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  that  you 
are  !  You  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  dish,  but 
inside  they  are  filled  with  the  results  of  greed  and  self- 
indulgence.  You  blind  Pharisee  !  First  clean  the  inside  of  26 
the  cup  and  the  dish,  so  that  the  outside  may  become  clean 
as  well.  Alas  for  you,  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  27 

Pharisees,  hypocrites  that  you  are  !   You  are  like  white-washed 
tombs,    which   indeed   look    fair  outside,    while   inside   they 
are  filled  with  dead  men's  bones  and  all  kinds  of  filth.     It     28 
is  the  same  with  you.     Outwardly,  and  to  others,  you  have 
the  look  of  religious  men,  but  inwardly  you  are  full  of  hypo- 
crisy and  sin.  Alas  for  you,  Teachers  of  the  Law  and     29 
Pharisees,  hypocrites  that  you   are  !     You   build  the  tombs 
of  the   Prophets,   and  decorate  the  monuments  of  religious 
men,  and  say  '  Had  we  been  living  in  the  days  of  our  ances-     30 
tors,  we  should  have  taken  no  part  in  their  murder  of  the 
Prophets  ! '    By  doing  this  you  are  furnishing  evidence  against     31 
yourselves  that  you  are  true  children  of  the  men  who  murdered 
the  Prophets.     Fill  up  the  measure  of  your  ancestors'  guilt.     32 
You  serpents  and  brood  of  vipers  !     How  can  you  escape  being     33 
sentenced  to  the  Pit  ?    That  is  why  I  send  you  Prophets,  wise    34 
men,  and  Teachers  of  the  Law,  some  of  whom  you  will  crucify 
and  kill,  and  some  of  whom  you  will  scourge  in  your  Syna- 
gogues, and  persecute  from  town  to  town  ;  in  order  that  upon     35 
your  heads  may  fall  every  drop  of  innocent  'blood  spilt  on  earth,' 
from  the  blood  of  innocent  Abel  down  to  that  of  Zechariah, 
Barachiah's  son,  whom  you  murdered  between   the  Temple 
jo*u»  iam«nta  {inc* tne  a'tar-     All  this,  I  tell  you,  will  come'home     36 

tho  fata      to  the  present  generation. 
or  j«ru>ai«m.     Jerusalem  !    Jerusalem !    she   who   slays   the    37 

28  Enoch  9.  i. 


MATTHEW,  23—24.  87 

Prophets  and  stones  the  messengers  sent  to  her Oh,  how 

often  have  I  wished  to  gather  your  children  round  me,  as  a 
hen  gathers  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  you  would  not 
come  !  Verily,  your  House  is  left  to  you  desolate  !  For 
nevermore,  I  tell  you,  shall  you  see  me,  until  you  say — 

'  Blessed  is  He  who  comes  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord  ! '  " 


Jesus  Leaving  the  Temple  Courts,  Jesus  was  walking     i    ' 

fbreteiia  the  away,  when  his  disciples  came  up  to  draw  his 
o^herTem0|Tie  attention  to  the  Temple  buildings. 
and  the  End        "  Do    you    see    all    these    things?"   was   his     2 
of  the  Age.    answer.       "I  tell  you,   not  a  single  stone  will 
be  left  here  upon  another,  which  will  not  be  thrown  down." 
So,  while  Jesus  was  sitting  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  his  dis-    3 
ciples  came  up  to  him   privately  and  said:    "Tell  us  when 
this  will  be,  and  what  will  be  the  sign  of  your  Coming,  and 
of  the  close  of  the  age." 

Jesus  replied  to  them  as  follows  :  4 

"See  that  no  one  leads  you  astray;    for  many  will   take     5 
my  name,  and  come  saying  '  I  am  the  Christ,'  and  will  lead 
many  astray.     And  you  will  hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of    6 
wars  ;    take  care  not  to  be  alarmed,  for  such  things  must 
occur ;    but  the  end  is  not  yet  here.      For  '  nation  will  rise     7 
against  nation  and  kingdom  against  kingdom, 'and  there  will 
be  famines  and  earthquakes  in  various  places.     All  this,  how-    8 
ever,  will  be  but  the  beginning  of  the  birth-pangs  !     When     9 
that  time  comes,  they  will  give  you  up  to  persecution,   and 
will  put  you  to  death,  and  you  will  be  hated  by  all  nations 
on  account  of  my  Name.      And  then   many  will  fall  away,     10 
and  will  betray  one  another,  and  hate  one  another.     Many     n 
false  Prophets,  also,  will  appear  and  lead  many  astray  ;   and,     12 
owing  to  the  increase  of  wickedness,  the  love  of  most  will 
grow  cold.      Yet  the  man  that  endures  to  the  end  shall  be     13 
saved.     And  this  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom  shall  be  pro-     14 
claimed  throughout  the  world  as  a  witness  to  all  nations ; 
and  then  will  come  the  end.  As  soon,  then,  as  you  see     15 

'  the  Foul  Desecration ',  mentioned  by  the  Prophet  Daniel, 
standing  in  the  Holy  Place,"  (the  reader  must  consider  what 
this   means)   "then   those  of  you  who  are   in  Judaea  must     16 
take  refuge  in  the  mountains  ;  and  a  man  on  the  house-top     17 
must  not  go  down  to  get  the  things  that  are  in  his  house ; 
nor  must  one  who  is  on  his  farm  turn  back  to  get  his  cloak.     18 
And  alas  for  the  women  that  are  with  child,  and  for  those  that     19 
are  nursing  infants  in  those  days !     Pray,  too,  that  your  flight     20 

38  Jer.  22.   5.     39  Ps.   118.  26.     6  Dan.  2.  28.     ?  Isa.  19.  2.     10  Isa.  8.  15. 
!'  Dan.  iz.  ii ;  8.  n. 


88  MATTHEW,  24. 

may  not  take  place  in  winter,  nor  on  a  Sabbath  ;  for  that  will     21 
be  '  a  time  of  great  distress,  the  like  of  which  has  not  occurred 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world  down  to  the  present  time  ' — 
no,  nor  ever  will  again.  And,  had  not  those  days  been  limited,     22 
not  a  single  soul  would  escape  ;  but  for  the  sake  of  '  God's 
People' a  limit  will  be  put  to  them.  And,  at  that  time,  if    23 

any  one  should  say  to  you  '  Look !  here  is  the  Christ ! '  or  '  Here 
he  is ! ',  do  not  believe  it ;  for  false  Christs  and  false  Prophets  will     24 
arise,  and  will  display  great  signs  and  marvels,  so  that,  were 
it  possible,  even  God's  People  would  be  led  astray.    Remember,     25 
I  have  told  you  beforehand.     Therefore,  if  people  say  to  you     26 
'  He  is  in  the  Wilderness  ! ',  do  not  go  out  there  ;  or  '  He  is  in  an 
inner  room  !',  do  not  believe  it ;  for,  just  as  lightning  will  start    27 
from  the  east  and  flash  across  to  the  west,  so  will  it  be  with 
the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.     Wherever  a  dead  body  lies,     28 
'there  will  the  vultures  flock.'  Immediately  after  the     29 

distress  of  those  days,  '  the  sun  will  be  darkened,  the  moon 
will  not  give  her  light,  the  stars  will  fall  from  the  heavens,' 
and  '  the  forces  of  the  heavens  will  be  convulsed. '     Then  will     30 
appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  heavens  ;  and  all  the 
peoples  of  the  earth  will  mourn,  when  they  see  the  '  Son  of 
Man  coming  on  the  clouds  of  the  heavens,"  with  power  and 
great  glory  ;  and  he  will  send  his  angels,  with  a  great  trumpet,     31 
and  they  will  gather  his  People  round  him  from  the  four  winds, 
from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other. 
The  Need         Learn  the  lesson  taught  by  the  fig  tree.     As    32 

for          soon  as  its  branches  are  full  of  sap,  and  it  is 
watchfuines*.  bursting  into  leaf,   you   know  that  summer  is 
near.     And  so  may  you,  as  soon  as  you  see  all  these  things,     33 
know  that  he  is  at  your  doors.     I    tell   you,  even   the   pre-     34 
sent   generation    will    not   pass   away,  till    all   these  things 
have   taken   place.      The   heavens   and   the  earth   will   pass     35 
away,  but  my  words  shall  never  pass  away.  But  about     36 

that  Day  and  Hour,  no  one  knows — not  even  the  angels  of 
Heaven,  nor  yet  the  Son — but  only  the  Father  himself.     For,     37 
just  as  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  will  it  be  at  the  Coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man.      In  those  days  before  the  flood  they  went  on     38 
eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  being  married,  up  to  the 
very  day  on  which  Noah  entered  the  ark,  taking  no  notice  till     39 
the  flood  came  and  swept  them  one  and  all  away  ;  and  so  will 
it  be  at  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.     At  that  time,  of    40 
two  men  on  a  farm  one  will  be  taken  and  one  left ;  of  two     41 
women  grinding  with  the  hand-mill  one  will  be  taken  and  one 
left.     Therefore  watch  ;    for  you  cannot  be  sure  on  what  day    42 
your  Master  is  coming.     But  this  you  do  know,  that,  had  the     43 
owner  of  the  house  known  at  what  time  of  night  the  thief 

21  Dan.  12.  i.  »  Enoch  i.  i.  24  Deut.  13.  i.  ™  Isa.  34.  15.  »  Dan.  la.  i ; 
Iita..  13.  to ;  34.  4.  30-31  Zcch.  ia.  la;  Dan.  7.  13;  Isa.  27.  13;  Zech.  a.  6j 
Dcut.  30.  4  ;  a8.  64.  «-3»  Gen.  7.  7. 


MATTHEW,  24-25.  89 

was  coming,  he  would  have  been  on  the  watch,  and  would  not 
have  allowed  his  house  to  be  broken  into.     Therefore,  do  you     44 
also   prepare,  since  it  is  just  when  you  are  least  expecting 
him  that  the  Son  of  Man  will  come.  Who,  then,  is     45 

that    trustworthy,    careful    servant,    who    has    been    placed 
bv  his  master  over  his  household,  to  give  them 

Parable  of  the    /    ./.....  -,       TT  -11    ^.u 

good  and  bad  their  food  at  the  proper  time  ?     Happy  will  that    46 

servants,     servant   be  whom  his  master,   when  he  comes 
home,  shall  find  doing  this.     I  tell  you  that  his  master  will  put    47 
him  in  charge  of  the  whole  of  his  property.     But,  should  he     48 
be  a  bad  servant,  and  say  to  himself  '  My  master  is  a  long 
time  in  coming,'  and  begin  to  beat  his  fellow-servants,  and     49 
eat  and  drink  with  drunkards,  that  servant's  master  will  come     50 
on  a  day  when  he  does  not  expect  him,  and  at  an  hour  of    51 
which  he  is  unaware,  and  will  flog  him  severely,  and  assign 
him   his  place  among  the   hypocrites,   where   there  will   be 
weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth. 

parable          Then  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  will  be  like  ten     i 
of  the  ten     bridesmaids  who  took  their  lamps  and  went  out 
Bridesmaids  to   meet    the   bridegroom.     Five   of  them  were     2 
foolish,  and  five  were  prudent.     The  foolish  ones  took  their     3 
lamps,  but  took  no  oil  with  them ;  while  the  prudent  ones,     4 
besides  taking  their  lamps,  took  oil  in  their  jars.     As  the     5 
bridegroom  was  late  in  coming,  they  all  became  drowsy,  and 
slept.      But  at  midnight  a  shout  was  raised — '  The  Bride-     6 
groom  is  coming  !     Come  out  to  meet  him  ! '     Then  all  the     7 
bridesmaids  awoke  and  trimmed  their  lamps.    And  the  foolish     8 
ones  said  to  the  prudent  '  Give  us  some  of  your  oil ;  our  lamps 
are  going  out.'      But  the   prudent  ones  answered    'No,  for     9 
fear  that  there  will  not  be  enough  for  you  and  for  us.     Go 
instead  to  those  who  sell  it,  and  buy  for  yourselves.'     But     10 
while  they  were  on  their  way  to  buy  it,  the  bridegroom  came ; 
and  the  bridesmaids  who  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the 
banquet,  and  the  door  was  shut.    Afterwards  the  other  brides-     1 1 
maids  came.      'Sir,  Sir,'  they  said,  'open  the  door  to  us!' 
But  the   bridegroom  answered   'I  tell  you,  I  do  not  know     12 
you.'  Therefore  watch,  since  you  know  neither  the     13 

Day  nor  the  Hour. 

Parable          ^or  ^  *s  as  th°ugh  a  man,  going  on  his  travels,     14 
oVthe        called  his  servants,  and  gave  his  property  into 

Talents,      their  charge.     He  gave  three  thousand  pounds     15 
to  one,  twelve  hundred  to  another,  and  six  hundred  to  a  third, 
in  proportion  to  the  ability  of  each.      Then  he  set  out  on     16 
his  travels.     The  man  who  had  received  the  three  thousand 
pounds  went  at  once  and  traded  with  it,  and  made  another 
three  thousand.      So,   too,   the  man  who   had   received   the     17 
twelve  hundred  pounds  made  another  twelve  hundred.     But     18 
the  man  who  had  received  the  six  hundred  went  and  dug  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  and  hid  his  master's  money.    After  a  long     19 


90  MATTHEW,  25. 

time  the  master  of  those  servants  returned,  and  settled  accounts 
with  them.     The  man  who  had  received  the  three  thousand     20 
pounds  came  up  and  brpught  three  thousand  more.     '  Sir,'  he 
said,  '  you  entrusted  me  with  three  thousand  pounds  ;   look, 
I  have  made  another  three  thousand  ! ' 

'Well  done,  good,  trustworthy  servant!'  said  his  master.     21 
'  You  have  been  trustworthy  with  a  small  sum  ;  now  I  will  place 
a  large  one  in  your  hands  ;  come  and  share  your  master's  joy  ! ' 
Then  the  one  who  had  received  the  twelve  hundred  pounds     22 
came  up  and  said  '  Sir,  you  entrusted  me  with  twelve  hun- 
dred pounds  ;  look,  I  have  made  another  twelve  hundred  ! ' 

'  Well  done,  good,  trustworthy  servant ! '  said  his  master.     23 
'  You  have  been  trustworthy  with  a  small  sum  ;  now  I  will 
place   a   large   one   in   your   hands ;    come   and   share  your 
master's  joy  ! ' 

The  man  who  had  received  the  six  hundred  pounds  came  up,     24 
too,  and  said  '  Sir,  I  knew  that  you  were  a  hard  man ;  you  reap 
where  you  have  not  sown,  and  gather  up  where  you  have  not 
winnowed  ;  and,  in  my  fear,  I  went  and  hid  your  money  in     25 
the  ground  ;  look,  here  is  what  belongs  to  you  ! ' 

'  You   lazy,   worthless   servant ! '   was   his    Master's   reply.     26 
'  You  knew  that  I  reap  where  I  have  not  sown,  and  gather 
up  where  I  have  not  winnowed  ?     Then  you  ought  to  have     27 
placed  my  money  in  the  hands   of  bankers,  and   I,  on  my 
return,  shbuld  have  received  my  money,  with  interest.     There-     28 
fore,'  he  continued,  '  take  away  from  him  the  six  hundred 
pounds,  and  give  it  to  the  one  who  has  the  six  thousand.    For,     29 
to  him  who  has,  more  will  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abund- 
ance ;   but,  as  for  him  who  has  nothing,  even  what  he  has 
will  be  taken  away  from  him.     As  for  the  useless  servant,  '  put     30 
him  out  into  the  darkness '  outside,  where  there  will  be  weeping 
and  grinding  of  teeth.' 

The  Great         When  the  Son  of  Man  has  come  in  his  glory     31 
judgement,  and  all  the  angels  with  him,  then  he  '  will  take 
his  seat  on  his  throne  of  glory ' ;  and  all  the  nations  will  be     32 
gathered  before  him,  and  he  will  separate  the  people — just  as 
a  shepherd  separates  sheep  from  goats — placing  the  sheep  on     33 
his  right  hand,  and  the  goats  on  his  left.     Then  the  King  will     34 
say  to  those  on  his  right  '  Come,  you  who  are  blessed  by  my 
Father,  enter  upon  possession  of  the  Kingdom  prepared  for 
you  ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  world.     For,  when  I  was     35 
hungry,  you  gave  me  food  ;  when  I  was  thirsty,  you  gave  me 
drink  ;  when  I  was  a  stranger,  you  took  me  to  your  homes  ; 
when  I  was  naked,  you  clothed  me  ;  when  I  fell  ill,  you  visited     36 
me ;  and  when  I  was  in  prison,  you  came  to  me.' 
Then  the  Righteous  will  answer  '  Lord,  when  did  we  see  you     37 
hungry,  and  feed  you  ?  or  thirsty,  and  give  you  drink  ?     When     38 
did  we  see  you  a  stranger,  and  take  you  to  our  homes  ?  or 
30  Enoch  10.  4.    ::l  /oh.  14.  5  ;  Enoch  62.  5. 


MATTHEW,  25-26.  91 

naked,  and  clothe  you  ?     When   did   we   see  you  ill,   or  in     39 
prison,  and  come  to  you  ?  ' 

And  the  King  will  reply  '  I  tell  you,  as  often  as  you  did  it     40 
to  one  of  these  my  Brothers,  however  lowly,  you  did  it  to  me.' 
Then  he  will  say  to  those  on  his  left  '  Go  from  my  presence,     41 
accursed,  into  the  '  aeonian  fire  which  has  been  prepared  for  the 
Devil  and  his  angels.'     For,  when  I  was  hungry,  you  gave  me     42 
no  food  ;  when  I  was  thirsty,  you  gave  me  no  drink  ;  when  I     43 
was  a  stranger,  you  did  not  take  me  to  your  homes  ;  when  I 
was  naked,  you  did  not  clothe  me;  and,  when  I  was  ill  and  in 
prison,  you  did  not  visit  me.' 

Then  they,  in  their  turn,  will  answer  '  Lord,  when  did  we  see    44 
you  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  ill,  or  in 
prison,  and  did  not  supply  your  wants  ?  ' 

And  then  he  will  reply  '  I  tell  you,  as  often  as  you  failed  to    45 
do  it  to  one  of  these,  however  lowly,  you  failed  to  do  it  to  me.' 
And  these  last  will  go  away  '  into  aeonian  punishment,'  but    46 
the  righteous  'into  aeonian  life.'" 


The  Plot          When  Jesus  had  finished  all  this  teaching,  he     i 
against       said  to  his  disciples  : 

jesus.  «  YOU  know  that  in  two  days'  time  the  Festival     2 

of  the  Passover  will  be  here  ;  and  that  the  Son  of  Man  is  to  be 
given  up  to  be  crucified." 

Then  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Councillors  of  the  Nation  met     3 
in  the  house  of  the  High  Priest,  who  was  called  Caiaphas,  and     4 
plotted  together  to  arrest  Jesus  by  stealth  and  put  him  to 
death  ;  but  they  said  :  "  Not  during  the  Festival,  for  fear  of    5 
causing  a  riot." 

After  Jesus  had  reached  Bethany,  and  while  he     6 
anointed  by  was  m  tne  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  a  woman     7 

a.  woman     came  up  to  him  with  an  alabaster  jar  of  very  costly 
at  Bethany.    perfume)  ancj  poured  the  perfume  upon  his  head  as 
he  was  at  table.     The  disciples  were  indignant  at  seeing  this.     8 

"What   is   this  waste  for?"  they  exclaimed.     "It  could     9 
have  been  sold  for  a  large  sum,  and  the  money  given  to  poor 
people." 

"Why  are  you  troubling  the  woman  ?"  Jesus  said,  when     10 
he  noticed  it.     "  For  this  is  a  beautiful   deed  that   she  has 
done  to  me.     You  always  have  the  poor  with  you,  but  you     n 
will  not  always  have  me.     In  pouring  this  perfume  on  my     12 
body,    she  has  done  it   for  my  burying.      I   tell  you,  wher-     13 
ever,  in  the  whole  world,  this  Good  News  is  proclaimed,  what 
this  woman  has  done  will  be  told  in  memory  of  her." 

41  Enoch  54.  i,  5.     **  Dan.  12.  2. 


92  MATTHEW,  26. 

judas  agrees      ^  was  then  that  one  of  the  Twelve,  named 

to  betray    Judas  Iscariot,  made  his  way  to  the  Chief  Priests, 

Jesus.        an(j  said  "  What  are  you  willing  to  give  me,  if  I 

betray  Jesus  to  you  ?  "     The  Priests  '  weighed  him  out  thirty 

pieces  of  silver '  as  payment.     So  from  that  time  Judas  looked 

for  an  opportunity  to  betray  Jesus. 

The  On  the  first  day  of  the  Festival  of  the  Unleavened 

Passover.     Bread,  the  disciples  came  up  to  Jesus,  and  said  : 

"  Where  do  you  wish  us  to  make  preparations  for  you  to  eat 
the  Passover  ?  " 

"Go  into  the  city  to  a  certain  man,"  he  answered,  "and 
say  to  him  '  The  Teacher  says — My  time  is'near.     I  will  keep 
the  Passover  with  my  disciples  at  your  house.'  " 
The  disciples  did  as  Jesus  directed  them,  and  prepared  the 
Passover. 

In    the    evening   Jesus    took    his    place    with    the    twelve 
disciples,  and,  while  they  were  eating,  he  said  : 

"  I  tell  you  that  one  of  you  will  betray  me." 
In  great  grief  they  began  to  say  to  him,  one  by  one  : 

"Can  it  be  I,  Master  ?  " 

"The  one  who  dipped  his  bread  beside  me  in  the  dish," 
replied  Jesus,  "is  the  one  who  will  betray  me.  True,  the  Son 
of  Man  must  go,  as  Scripture  says  of  him,  yet  alas  for  that  man 
by  whom  the  Son  of  Man  is  being  betrayed  !  For  that  man  '  it 
would  be  better  never  to  have  been  born  ! ' " 
And  Judas,  who  was  betraying  him,  turned  to  him  and  said  : 

"Can  it  be  I,  Rabbi?" 

"  It  is,"  answered  Jesus. 
The '  Lord's       While  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  some  bread, 

supper.'      and,  after  saying  the  blessing,  broke  it  and,  as  he 
gave  it  to  his  disciples,  said  : 

"  Take  it  and  eat  it ;  this  is  my  body." 

Then  he  took  a  cup,  and,  after  saying  the  thanksgiving,  gave 
it  to  them,  with  the  words  : 

"  Drink  from  it,  all  of  you  ;  for  this  is  my  Covenant-blood, 
which  is  poured  out  for  many  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  And 
I  tell  you  that  I  shall  never,  after  this,  drink  of  this  juice  of  the 
grape,  until  that  day  when  I  shall  drink  it  new  with  you  in  the 
Kingdom  of  my  Father." 
p*ter*s  Fail  They  then  sang  a  hymn,  and  went  out  to 

roretoid.      the  Mount  of  Olives. 
Then  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

"Even  you  will  all  fall  away  from  me  to-night.     Scripture 
says — 

'  I  will  strike  down  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock 
will  be  scattered.' 

i»Zech.  ii.  ia.    M  Enoch  38.  a.    »  Exod.  24.  8.    «  Zech.  13.  7. 


MATTHEW,  26.  93 

But,  after  I  have  risen,  I  shall  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  32 

"  If  everyone  else  falls  away  from  you,"  Peter  answered,  "  I     33 

shall  never  fall  away  ! " 

"  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  this  very  night,  before  the     34 

cock  crows,  you  will  disown  me  three  times  ! " 

"  Even  if  I  must  die  with  you,"  Peter  exclaimed,  "  I  shall     35 

never  disown  you  ! " 

All  the  disciples  spoke  in  the  same  way. 

Jesus  in          Then  Jesus  came  with  them  to  a  garden  called    36 
cethsemane.  Gethsemane,  and  he  said  to  his  disciples  : 

"  Sit  down  here  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder." 

Taking  with  him  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebediah,  he     37 
began  to  show  signs  of  sadness  and  deep  distress  of  mind. 

"I  am  sad  at  heart,"  he  said,  "sad  even  to  death;   wait    38 
here,  and  watch  with  me." 

Going  on  a  little  further,  he  threw  himself  on   his   face  in     39 
prayer. 

"  My  Father,"  he  said,  "if  it  is  possible,  let  me  be  spared 
this  cup  ;  only,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wiliest." 
Then  he  came  to  his  disciples,  and  found  them  asleep.  40 

"  What !  "  he  said  to  Peter,  "  could  none  of  you  watch  with 
me  for  one  hour  ?  Watch  and  pray,  that  you  may  not  fall  into     41 
temptation.     True,  the  spirit  is  eager,  but  human  nature  is 
weak. " 
Again,  a  second  time,  he  went  away,  and  prayed.  .  42 

"  My  Father,"  he  said,  "  if  I  cannot  be  spared  this  cup,  but 
must  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done  ! " 

And  coming  back  again  he  found  them  asleep,  for  their  eyes     43 
were  heavy.     So  he  left  them,  and  went  away  again,  and     44 
prayed  a  third  time,  again  saying  the  same  words. 
Then  he  came  to  the  disciples,  and  said  :  45 

"Sleep  on  now,  and  rest  yourselves.      Hark!  my  time  is 
close  at  hand,  and  the  Son  of  Man  is  being  betrayed  into  the 
hands  of  wicked  men.     Up,  and  let  us  be  going.     Look  !  my    46 
betrayer  is  close  at  hand." 

The  And,  while  he  was  still  speaking,  Judas,  who     47 

Arrest  o*     was  one  of  the  Twelve,  came  in  sight ;  and  with 
jesus.        him  was  a  great  crowd  of  people,  with  swords 
and  clubs,   sent  from  the  Chief  Priests  and  Councillors  of 
the  Nation.     Now  the  betrayer  had  arranged  a  signal  with     48 
them. 

"The  man  whom  I  kiss,"  he  had  said,  "will  be  the  one; 
arrest  him." 

So  he  went  up  to  Jesus  at  once,  and  exclaimed  :     "  Welcome,     49 
Rabbi  !  "  and  kissed  him  ;  on  which  Jesus  said  to  him  :  50 

"  Friend,  do  what  you  have  come  for." 
Thereupon  the  men  went  up,  seized  Jesus,  and  arrested  him. 

3»  Ps.  43.  5. 


94  MATTHEW,  26. 

Suddenly  one  of  those  who  were  with  Jesus  stretched  out  his     51 
hand,  and  drew  his  sword,  and  striking  the  High   Priest's 
servant,  cut  off  his  ear. 

"Sheathe  your  sword,"  Jesus  said,  "for  all  who  draw  the     52 
sword  will  be  put  to  the  sword.    Do  you  think  that  I  cannot  ask     53 
my  Father  for  help,  when  he  would  at  once  send  to  my  aid  more 
than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ?     But  in  that  case  how  would     54 
the  Scriptures  be  fulfilled,  which  say  that  this  must  be?  " 
Jesus  at  the  same  time  said  to  the  crowds  :  55 

"  Have  you  come  out,  as  if  after  a  robber,  with  swords  and 
clubs,  to  take  me  ?     I  have  sat  teaching  day  after  day  in  the 
Temple  Courts,  and  yet  you  did  not  arrest  me. " 
The  whole  of  this  occurred  in  fulfilment  of  the  Prophetic  Scrip-     56 
tures. 
Then  the  disciples  all  forsook  him  and  fled. 

Je-us  Those  who  had  arrested  Jesus  took   him   to    57 

before  the    Caiaphas,  the  High  Priest,  where  the  Teachers 
High  prieat.  of  the  Law  and  the  Councillors  had  assembled. 
Peter  followed  him  at  a  distance  as  far  as  the  court-yard  of  the     58 
High  Priest,  and  went  in  and  sat  down  among  the  police- 
officers,  to  see  the  end.     Meanwhile  the  Chief  Priests  and  the     59 
whole  of  the  High  Council  were  trying  to  get  such  false  evidence 
against  Jesus,  as  would  warrant  putting  him  to  death,  but  they     60 
did  not  find  any,  although  many  came  forward  with  false 
evidence.      Later  on,  however,  two  men  came  forward  and     61 
said  : 

"  This  man  said  '  I  am  able  to  destroy  the  Temple  of  God, 
and  to  build  it  in  three  days.'" 
Then  the  High  Priest  stood  up,  and  said  to  Jesus  :  62 

"  Have  you  no  answer?  What  is  this  evidence  which  these 
men  are  giving  against  you  ?  " 

But  Jesus  remained  silent.     On  this  the  High  Priest  said  to     63 
him  : 

"  I  adjure  you,  by  the  Living  God,  to  tell  us  whether  you 
are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God." 

"It  is  true,'  Jesus  answered;   "moreover  I  tell  you  all    64 
that  hereafter  you  shall  '  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Almighty,  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of  the 
heavens.' " 
Then  the  High  Priest  tore  his  robes.  65 

"This  is  blasplumy!"  he  exclaimed.  "Why  do  we  want 
any  more  witnesses  ?  You  have  just  heard  his  blasphemy  ! 
What  is  your  decision  ?  "  66 

They  answered  : 

"  He  deserves  death." 

Then  they  spat  in  his  face,  and  struck  him,  while  others  dealt    67 
blows  at  him,  saying  as  they  did  so  :  68 

W  p8.  1 19.  i ;  Dan.  7.  13. 


MATTHEW,  26-27.  95 

"Now  play  the  Prophet  for  us,  you  Christ!     Who  was  it 
that  struck  you  ?  "  . 

peter  disowns      Peter,  meanwhile,  was  sitting  outside  in  the     69 

jesus.       court-yard  ;  and  a  maidservant  came  up  to  him, 
and  exclaimed  : 

"  Why,  5'ou  were  with  Jesus  the  Galilean  !  " 
But  Peter  denied  it  before  them  all.  70 

"  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,"  he  replied. 

When  he  had  gone  out  into  the  gateway,  another  maid  saw     71 
him,  and  said  to  those  who  were  there  : 

"  This  man  was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth  !  " 
Again  he  denied  it  with  an  oath  :  72 

"  I  do  not  know  the  man  ! " 

But  soon  afterwards  those  who  were  standing  by  came  up  and     73 
said  to  Peter: 

' '  You  also  are  certainly  one  of  them  ;  why,  your  very  way 
of  speaking  proves  it ! " 
Then  Peter  began  to  swear,  with  most  solemn  imprecations  :      74 

"  I  do  not  know  the  man." 

At  that  moment  a  cock  crowed  ;   and  Peter  remembered  the     75 
words  which  Jesus  had  said — '  Before  a  cock  has  crowed,  you 
will  disown  me  three  times ' ;  and  he  went  outside,  and  wept 
bitterly. 

The  End  of        At  daybreak  all  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Coun-     i 

Judas.       cillors  of  the  Nation  consulted  together  against 
Jesus,  to  bring  about  his  death.    They  put  him  in  chains  and  led     2 
him  away,  and  gave  him  up  to  the  Roman  Governor,  Pilate. 

Then  Judas,  who  betrayed  him,  seeing  that  Jesus  was  con-     3 
demned,   repented  of  what  he  had  done,  and  returned   the 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  Chief  Priests  and  Councillors. 

"  I   did  wrong  in  betraying  a  good  man  to  his  death,"  he     4 
said. 

"  What  has  that  to  do  with  us  ?  "  they  replied.     "  You  must 
see  to  that  yourself." 

Judas  flung  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  Temple,  and  left ;  5 
and  went  away  and  hanged  himself.  The  Chief  Priests  6 

took  the  pieces  of  silver,  but  they  said  : 

"  We  must  not  put  them  into  the  Temple  treasury,  because 
they  are  blood-money." 

So,  after  consultation,  they  bought  with  them  the  '  Potter's  7 
Field  '  for  a  burial-ground  for  foreigners ;  and  that  is  why  that  8 
field  is  called  the  '  Field  of  Blood '  to  this  very  day.  Then  9 

it  was  that  these  words  spoken  by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  were 
fulfilled— 

'  They  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  him  who 

was  valued,  whom  some  of  the  people  of  Israel  valued,  and          10 

gave  them  for  the  Potter's  field,  as  the  Lord  commanded  me.' 
»-io  Zech.  ii.  13. 


96  MATTHEW,  27. 

before       Mean  while  Jesus  was  brought  before  the  Roman 

tn*e*Roman     Governor. 

Governor.         "Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  asked  the 
Governor. 

"  It  is  true,"  answered  Jesus. 

While  charges  were  being  brought  against  him  by  the  Chief 
Priests  and  Councillors,  Jesus  made  no  reply.  Then  Pilate 
said  to  him  : 

"  Do  not  you  hear  how  many  accusations  they  are  making 
against  you  ?  " 

Yet  Jesus  made  no  reply — not  even  a  single  word  ;  at  which 
the  Governor  was  greatly  astonished.  Now,  at  the 

Feast,  the  Governor  was  accustomed  to  grant  the  people  the 
release  of  any  one  prisoner  whom  they  might  choose.  At  that 
time  they  had  a  notorious  prisoner  called  Barabbas.  So,  when 
the  people  had  collected,  Pilate  said  to  them  : 

"  Which  do  you  wish  me  to  release  for  you  ?     Barabbas  ?  or 
Jesus  who  is  called  '  Christ '  ?  " 

For  he  knew  that  it  was  out  of  jealousy  that  they  had  given 
Tesus  up  to  him.  While  he  was  still  on  the  Bench, 

his  wife  sent  this  message  to  him — 

"  Do  not  have  anything  to  do  with  that  good  man,  for  I  have 
been  very  unhappy  to-day  in  a  dream  on  account  of  him." 
But  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Councillors  persuaded  the  crowds 
to  ask  for  Barabbas,  and  to  kill  Jesus.     The  Governor,  how- 
ever, said  to  them : 

' '  Which  of  these  two  do  you  wish  me  to  release  for  you  ?  " 

"  Barabbas,"  they  answered. 

"What  then,"  Pilate  asked,   "shall  I  do  with  Jesus  who 
is  called  '  Christ '  ?  " 

"  Let  him  be  crucified,"  they  all  replied. 

"  Why,  what  harm  has  he  done  ?  "  he  asked. 
But  they  kept  shouting  furiously:  "Let  him  be  crucified  !" 
When  Pilate  saw  that  his  efforts  were  unavailing,  but  that,  on 
the  contrary,  a  riot  was  beginning,  he  took  some  water,  and 
washed  his  hands  in  the  sight  of  the  crowd,  saying  as  he 
did  so  : 

"  I  am  not  answerable  for  this  bloodshed  ;  you  must  see  to 
it  yourselves." 
And  all  the  people  answered  : 

"  His  blood  be  on  our  heads  and  on  our  children's  ! " 
Then  Pilate  released  Barabbas  to  them  ;  but  Jesus  he  scourged, 
and  gave  him  up  to  be  crucified. 

TH«  After  that,  the  Governor's  soldiers  took  Jesus  with 

crucifixion    them  into  the  Government  House,  and  gathered 

or  JOVUB.      tne  wnoie  garrison  round  him.     They  stripped 

him,  and  put  on  him  a  red  military  cloak,  and,  having  twisted 

some  thorns  into  a  crown,  put  it  on  his  head,  and  a  rod  in 


MATTHEW,  27.  97 

his  right  hand,  and  then,  going  down  on  their  knees  before 
him,  they  mocked  him. 

"  Long  life  to  you,  King  of  the  Jews  !  "  they  said. 
They  spat  at  him    and,  taking  the  rod,  kept  striking  him  on     30 
the  head  ;  and,  when  they  had  left  off  mocking  him,  they  took     31 
off  the  military  cloak,  and  put  his  own  clothes  on  him,  and  led 
him  away  to  be  crucified. 

As  they  were  on  their  way  out,  they  came  upon  a  man  from     32 
Cyrene  of  the  name  of  Simon  ;  and  they  compelled  him  to  go 
with  them  to  carry  the  cross.  On  reaching  a  place     33 

named  Golgotha  (a  place  named  from  its  likeness  to  a  skull), 
they  gave  him  some  wine  to  drink  which  had  been  mixed  with     34 
gall ;  but,  after  tasting  it,  Jesus  refused  to  drink  it.     When     35 
they  had  crucified  him,  they  divided  his  clothes  among  them 
by  casting  lots.      Then  they  sat  down,  and  kept  watch  over     36 
him  there.     Above  his  head  they  fixed  the  accusation  against     37 
him  written  out — 

'THIS  IS  JESUS  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.' 

At  the  same  time  two  robbers  were  crucified  with  him,  one  on     38 
the  right,  the  other  on  the  left.  The  passers-by  railed     39 

at  him,  shaking  their  heads  as  they  said  :  40 

"  You  who  '  destroy  the  Temple  and  build  one  in  three  days,' 
save  yourself!  If  you  are  God's  Son,  come  down  from  the 
cross  ! " 

In  the  same  way  the  Chief  Priests,  with  the  Teachers  of  the    41 
Law  and  Councillors,  said  in  mockery  : 

"  He  saved  others,  but  he  cannot  save  himself!     He  is  the     42 
'  King  of  Israel ' !     Let  him  come  down  from  the  cross  now, 
and  we  will  believe  in  him.     He  has  trusted  in  God  ;  if  God     43 
wants  him,  let  him  deliver  him  now  ;  for  he  said  '  I  am  God's 
Son.'"     Even    the    robbers,    who    were  crucified  with   him,     44 
reviled  him  in  the  same  way. 

The  D«ath        After  mid-day  a  darkness  came  over  all  the     45 

of  jesus.     country,  lasting  till  three  in  the  afternoon.     And     46 
about  three  Jesus  called  out  loudly  : 

"  Eloi,  Eloi,  lema  sabacthani  " — that  is  to  say,  '  O  my  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  ' 
Some  of  those  standing  by  heard  this,  and  said  :  47 

"  The  man  is  calling  for  Elijah  !  " 

One  of  them  immediately  ran  and  took  a  sponge,  and,  filling    48 
it  with  common  wine,  put  it  on  the  end  of  a  rod,  and  offered 
it  to  him  to  drink.     But  the  rest  said  :  49 

"  Wait  and  let  us  see  if  Elijah  is  coming  to  save  him." 
[However  another  man  took  a  spear,  and  pierced  his  side  ; 
and  water  and  blood  flowed  from  it.]    But  Jesus,   uttering     50 
another  loud  cry,  gave  up  his  spirit.  Suddenly  the    51 

«  Ps.   69.   21.       35  ps.   22.    jg.      39  ps.    22.    7.      43   ps.    22.   8.       «  Ps.   23.    I. 
48  Ps.  69.  21. 


98  MATTHEW,  27-28. 

Temple  curtain  was  torn  in  two  from  top  to  bottom,  the  earth 
shook,  the  rocks  were  torn  asunder,  the  tombs  opened,  and     52 
the  bodies  of  many  of  God's  People  who  had  fallen  asleep 
rose,  and  they,  leaving  their  tombs,  went,  after  the  resurrec-     53 
tion   of  Jesus,  into   the    Holy  City,  and   appeared   to   many 
people.  The  Roman  Captain,  and  the  men  with  him     54 

who  were  watching  Jesus,  on  seeing  the  earthquake  and  all 
that  was  happening,  became  greatly  frightened  and  exclaimed : 

"This  must  indeed  have  been  God's  Son  ! " 

There  were  many  women  there,  watching  from  a  distance,     55 
who  had  accompanied  Jesus  from  Galilee  and  had  been  at-- 
tending  on  him.     Among  them  were  Mary  of  Magdala,  Mary     56 
the  mother  of  James  and  Joseph,  and  the  mother  of  Zebediah's 


The  Burial        When  evening  had  fallen,  there  came  a  rich     57 

of  Jesus,      man  belonging  to  Ramah,  named  Joseph,  who 
had  himself  become  a  disciple  of  Jesus.     He  went  to  see  Pilate,     58 
and  asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus  ;  upon  which  Pilate  ordered  it 
to  be  given  him.     So  Joseph  took  the  body,  and  wrapped  it  in     59 
a  clean  linen  sheet,  and  laid  it  in  his  newly-made  tomb  which     60 
he  had  cut  in  the  rock  ;  and,  before  he  left,  he  rolled  a  great 
stone   against    the   entrance   of  the    tomb.  Mary   of    61 

Magdala  and  the  other  Mary  remained  behind,  sitting  in  front 
of  the  grave. 

The  next  day — that  is,  the  day  following  the  Preparation-     62 
Day — the  Chief  Priests  and  Pharisees  came  in  a  body  to  Pilate, 
and  said  :  63 

"Sir,  we  remember  that,  during  his  lifetime,  that  impostor 
said  '  I  shall  rise  after  three  days.'  So  order  the  tomb  to  be  64 
made  secure  till  the  third  day.  Otherwise  his  disciples  may 
come  and  steal  him,  and  then  say  to  the  people  '  He  lias  risen 
from  the  dead,'  when  the  latest  imposture  will  be  worse  than 
the  first." 

"You  may  have  a  guard,"  was  Pilate's  reply;    "go  and    65 
make  the  tomb  as  secure  as  you  can." 

So  they  went  and  made  the  tomb  secure,  by  sealing  the  stone,     66 
in  presence  of  the  guard. 


VI.— THE  RISEN  LIFE. 

The  After  the  Sabbath,  as  the  first  day  of  the  week 

Ro«urroction  began  to  dawn,  Mary  of  Magdala  and  the  other 
of  jo«u«.      Mary  had  gone  to  look  at  the  grave,  when  sud- 
denly a  great  earthquake  occurred.     For  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
descended    from    Heaven,    and   came    and    rolled    away   the 
stone,  and  seated  himself  upon  it.     His  appearance  was  as 

"  Wisd.  of  Sol.  a.  18. 


MATTHEW,  28.  99 

dazzling  as  lightning,  and  his  clothing  was  as  white  as  snow  ; 
and,  in  their  terror  of  him,  the  men  on  guard  trembled  violently     4 
and  became  like  dead  men.     But  the  angel,  addressing  the     5 
women,  said  : 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid.     I  know  that  it  is  Jesus,  who  was 
crucified,  for  whom  you  are  looking.     He  is  not  here  ;  for  he     6 
has  risen,  as  he  said  he  would.     Come,  and  see  the  place 
where  he  was  lying  ;   and  then  go  quickly  and  say  to  his     7 
disciples  '  He  has  risen  from  the  dead,  and  is  going  before 
you  into   Galilee;   there  you   will   see   him.'     Remember,   I 
have  told  you." 

On  this  they  left  the  tomb  quickly,  in  awe  and  great  joy,  and  ran     8 
to  tell  the  news  to  the  disciples.     Suddenly  Jesus  met  them.         9 

"Welcome  ! "  he  said. 

The  women  went  up  to  him,  and  clasped  his  feet,  bowing  to 
the  ground  before  him.     Then  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

,"  Do  not  be  afraid  ;  go  and  tell  my  brothers  to  set  out  for     10 
Galilee,  and  they  shall  see  me  there." 

While  they  were  still  on  their  way,  some  of  the  guard  came     1 1 
into  the  city,  and  reported  to  the  Chief  Priests  everything  that 
had  happened.     So  the}'  and  the  Councillors  met  and,  after     12 
holding  a  consultation,  gave  a  large   sum  of  money  to  the 
soldiers,  and  told  them  to  say  that  his  disciples  came  in  the     13 
night,  and  stole  him  while  they  were  asleep;    "and  should     14 
this  matter  come  before  the  Governor,"  they  added,  "we  will 
satisfy  him,  and  see  that  you  have  nothing  to  fear." 
So    the    soldiers    took    the    money,    and    did    as    they   were     15 
instructed.  And  this  story  has  been  current  among  the 

Jews  from  that  day  to  this. 

jcsus  The  eleven  disciples  went  to  Galilee,  to  the     16 

appears  to  the  mountain  where  Jesus  told  them  to  meet  him; 

Apostles,     and,  when   they  saw   him,   they   bowed   to  the     17 
ground  before  him  ;  although  some  felt  doubtful. 
Then  Jesus  came  up,  and  spoke  to  them  thus  :  18 

"  All  authority  in  heaven  and  on  the  earth  has  been  given  to 
me.     Therefore   go  ^nd    make  disciples  of  all   the  nations,     19 
baptizing  them  into  the  Faith  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  teaching  them  to  lay  to  heart  all  the  com-     20 
mands  that  I  have  given  you  ;  and,  remember,  I  myself  am 
with  you  every  day  until  the  close  of  the  age." 
18  Enoch  6a.  6. 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  ACCORDING  TO 
LUKE. 


THE     GOSPEL     ACCORDING     TO 
ST.     LUKE'. 


•       COMPILED   AT   AN    UNCERTAIN    DATE    LATER 
THAN    60    A.D. 


The  compiler  of  this  gospel  was  probably  the  Luke  who 
also  compiled  the  '  Acts  of  the  Apostles '  and  appears  in  that 
book  as  a  companion  of  St.  Paul.  That  apostle's  influence 
may  apparently  be  traced  in  the  selection  of  many  of  the 
incidents  and  parables  that  are  peculiar  to  this  record  of  the 
Life  and  Teaching  of  Jesus. 

I  In  addition  to  the  record  of  the  ministry  given  in  '  The 
Gospel  according  to  St.  Mark 'Awhich  appears  to  rest  largely  on 
information  derived  from  the  Apostle  Peter,  and  the  greater 
part  of  which  is  embodied  hereVthis  gospel  contains  much  of 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  which  is  also  recorded  in  '  The  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  St.  Matthew,'  as  well  as  a  quantity  of  additional  and 
very  important  matter. /The  sources  from  which  this  matter 
was  drawn  cannot  yet  be  identified  with  certainty  ;  but  the 
compiler  evidently  aimed  at  presenting  a  more  complete  pic- 
ture of  the  Life  of  Jesus  than  had  hitherto  been  attempted.  His 
standpoint  appears  to  be  that  of  a  converted  Gentile,  writing 
for  his  fellow-converts. 

There  is  nothing  to  show  where  this  gospel  was  compiled, 
though  it  was  probably  outside  Palestine.  It  is  not  clear  that 
it  was  originally  drawn  up  in  its  present  form  ;  nor  can  its 
date  be  fixed  with  any  certainty.  Its  compiler  is  evidently  at 
times  translating  from  the  Aramaic  language,  and  at  other 
times  writing,  with  greater  ease,  of  events  of  which  he  had 
learnt  from  Greek  sources.  Apparently  he  was  not  himself 
an  eye-witness  of  the  Life  that  he  records.  The  tradition 
that  he  was  a  doctor  by  profession  is  to  some  extent  supported 
by  the  internal  evidence  of  this  gospel. 


OTAT«  TEACHER*  COLUXC    ' 
HANTA  BARBARA.  CALIFORNIA 


ACCORDING    TO     LUKE. 


DEDICATION. 

To  Az>  Excellency,  Theophilus. 

Many  attempts  have  been  already  made  to  draw  up  an  account 
of  those  events  which  have  reached  their  conclusion  among  us, 
just  as  they  were  reported  to  us  by  those  who  from  the  beginning 
were  eye-witnesses,  and  aftei wards  became  bearers  of  the 
Message.  A  nd,  therefore,  I  also,  since  I  have  investigated  all 
these  events  with  great  care  from  their  very  beginning,  have 
resolved  to  write  a  connected  history  of  them  for  you,  in  order 
that  vou  may  be  able  to  satisfy  yourself  of  the  accuracy  of  the 
story  -which  you  have  heard  from  the  lips  of  others. 


I. — THE  BIRTH,  PARENTAGE,  INFANCY,  AND  BOYHOOD. 

The  Birth         *n  t'ie  re'lSn  °^  Herod,  King  of  Judaea,  there     5 
of  the       was  a  priest  named  Zechariah,  who  belonged  to 
Baptist       the  Division  called  after  Abijah.      His  wife,- whose 
name  was  Elizabeth,  was  also  a  descendant  of 
Aaron.    They  were  both  righteous  people,  who  lived  blameless     6 
lives,    guiding   their  steps    by   all    the   commandments   and 
ordinances  of  the  Lord.     But  they  had   no  child,    Elizabeth     7 
being  barren  ;  and  both  of  them  were  advanced  in  years. 

One  day,  when  Zechariah  was  officiating  as  priest  before     8 
God,  during  the  turn  of  his  Division,  it  fell  to  him  by  lot,  in     9 
accordance  with  the  practice  among  the  priests,  to  go  into  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord  and  burn  incense  ;  and,  as  it  was  the  Hour     10 
of  Incense,   the   people  were   all   praying   outside.     And  an     1 1 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him,  standing  on  the  right  of 
the  Altar  of  Incense.      Zechariah  was  startled  at  the  sight  and     12 
was  awe-struck.      But  the  angel  said  to  him  :  13 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,  Zechariah  ;  your  prayer  has  been  heard, 
and  your  wife  Elizabeth  shall  bear  you  a  son,  whom  you  shall 


104  LUKE,  1. 

call  by  the  name  John.     He  shall  be  to  you   a  joy  and  a     14 
delight ;  and  many  shall  rejoice  over  his  birth.     For  he  shall     15 
be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  he  shall  not  drink  any  wine 
or  strong  drink,  and  he  shall  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
from  the  very  hour  of  his  birth,  and  shall  reconcile  many  of  the     16 
Israelites  to  the  Lord  their  God.     He  shall  go  before  him  in  the     17 
spirit  and  with  the  power  of  Elijah,  'to  reconcile  fathers  to  their 
children '  and  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  righteous, 
and  so  make  ready  for  the  Lord  a  people  prepared  for  him. " 

"  How  can  I  be  sure  of  this?  "  Zechariah  asked  the  angel.     18 
"  For  I  am  an  old  man  and  my  wife  is  advanced  in  years." 

"1  am  Gabriel,"  the  angel  answered,  "who  stand  in  the     19 
presence  of  God,  and  I  have  been  sent  to  speak  to  you  and  to 
bring  you  this  good  news.     And  now  you  shall  be  silent  and     20 
unable  to  .speak  until  the  day  when  this  takes  place,  because 
you  did  not  believe  what  I  said,  though  my  words  will  be 
fulfilled  in  due  ccoirse." 

Meanwhile  the  people  were  watching  for  Zechariah,  wonder-     21 
ing  at  his  remaining  so  long  in  the  Temple.     When  he  came     22 
out,  he  was  unable  to  speak  to  them,  and  they  perceived  that  he 
had  seen  a  vision  there.     But  Zechariah  kept  making  signs  to 
them,  and  remained  dumb.  And,  as  soon  as  his  term     23 

of  service  was  finished,  he  returned  home. 

After  this  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  expecting  to  become  a  mother,     24 
lived  in  seclusion  for  five  months. 

"This  is  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  me,"  she  said,  "  now     25 
that  he  has  deigned  to  take  away  the  reproach  under  which  I 
have  been  living." 

The  Birth         ^ix  months  later  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent     26 
of  Jesus      from  God  to  a  town  in  Galilee  called  Nazareth, 
foretold,      to  a  maiden  there  who  was  betrothed  to  a  man 

named  Joseph,  a  descendant  of  David.     Her  name  was  Mary. 

Gabriel  came  into  her  presence  and  said  : 

"  Hail,  you  who  have  been  highly  favoured  !     The  Lord  is 

with  you." 

Mary  was  much  disturbed  at  his  words,  and  was  wondering  to 

herself  what  such  a  greeting  could  mean,  when  the  angel 

spoke  again  : 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,  Mary,  for  you  have  found  favour  with  God. 

And   now,   you  shall  be  with  child   and  give  birth  to  a  son, 

and  you  shall  give  him  the  name  Jesus.     The  child  shall  be 

K;at  and  shall  be  called  'Son  of  the  Most  High,'  and  the 
rd  God  will  give  him  the  throne  of  his  ancestor  David,  and 
he  shall  reign  over  the  descendants  of  Jacob  for  ever  ;  and  to 
his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." 

"  How  can  this  be  ?  "  Mary  asked  the  angel.     "  For  I  have 
no  husband." 

"  Num.  6.  3.     "  Mai.  4.  5-6.     **  Isa.  9.  7. 


LUKE,  1.  105 

"The  Holy  Spirit  shall  descend  upon  you,"  answered  the     35 
angel,  "and  the  Power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow 
you  ;  and  therefore  the  child  will  be  called  '  holy,'  and  '  Son  of 
God.'     And  Elizabeth,  your  cousin,  is  herself  also  expecting  a     36 
son  in  her  old  age  ;    and  it  is  now  the  sixth  montli  with  her, 
though  she  is  called  barren  ;    for  no  promise  from  God  shall     37 
fail  to  be  fulfilled." 

"  I  am  the  servant  of  the  Lord,"  exclaimed  Mary ;  "  let  it  be     38 
with  me  as  you  have  said."  . 

Then  the  angel  left  her. 

Mary's  visit        Soon  after  this  Mary  set  out,  and  made  her     39 
to  Elizabeth,  way  quickly  into  the  hill-country,  to  a  town  in 
Judah  ;  and  there  she  went  into  Zechariah's  house  and  greeted     40 
Elizabeth.     When  Elizabeth  heard  Mary's  greeting,  the  child     41 
moved  within  her,  and  Elizabeth  herself  was  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  cried  aloud  :  42 

"  Blessed  are  you  among  women,  and  blessed  is  your  unborn 
child  !     But  how  have  I  this  honour,  that  the  mother  of  my     43 
Lord  should  come  to  me  ?     For,  as  soon  as  your  greeting     44 
reached  my  ears,  the  child  moved  within  me  with  delight ! 
Happy  indeed  is  she  who  believed  chat  the  promise  which  she     45 
received  from  the  Lord  would  be  fulfilled." 
And  Mary  said  :  46 

"  My  soul  exalts  the  Lord, 

My  spirit  delights  in  God  my  Saviour ;  47 

For  he  has  remembered  his  servant  in  her  lowliness  ;  48 

And  from  this  hour  all  ages  will  count  me  happy  ! 

Great  things  has  the  Almighty  done  for  me  ;  49 

And  holy  is  his  name. 
From  age  to  age  his  mercy  rests  50 

On  those  who  reverence  him. 

Mighty  are  the  deeds  of  his  arm  ;  51 

He  scatters  the  proud  with  their  own  devices, 
He  casts  down  princes  from  their  thrones,  and  the  lowly  he      52 

uplifts, 

The  hungry  he  loads  with  gifts,  and  the  rich  he  sends  empty     53 
away. 

He  has  stretched  out  his  hand  to  his  servant  Israel,  54 

Ever  mindful  of  his  mercy 
(As  he  promised  to  our  forefathers)  55 

For  Abraham  and  his  race  for  ever." 

Mary  stayed  with  Elizabeth  about  three  months,  and  then     56 
returned  to  her  home. 

35  Exod.  13.  12  ;  Ps.  2.  7.  3?  Gen.  18.  14.  **  Ps.  104.  i.  47  i  Sam.  2.  i  :  Ps.  95.  i 
(Septuagint).  **  i  Sam.  i.  n  ;  i>»al.  3.  12.  *>  Ps.  126.  3;  in.  9.  "0  Ps.  103.  17. 
51  Ps.  89.  10  ;  Job  5.  13.  52  Job  12.  18 — 19 ;  5.  n  ;  Enoch  46.  5.  "3  Ps.  107.  9 ; 
34.  10  (Septuagint).  &  Isa.  41.  8 — 9 ;  Ps.  98.  3.  *>  Mic.  7.  20;  Gen.  13.  17. 

E* 


106  LUKE,  1. 

The  Birth  and      When  Elizabeth's  time  came,  she  gave  birth  to     57 
circumcision  a  son ;  and  her  neighbours  and  relations,  hearing     58 
of  the  Baptist.  of  tne  g-reat  goodnes-s  of  the  Lord  to  her,  came  to 
share  her  joy.  A  week  later  they  met  to  circumcise     59 

the  child,  and  were  about  to  call  him  '  Zechariah '  after  his 
father,  when  his  mother  interposed  :  60 

"  No,  he  is  to  be  called  John." 

"  You  have  no  relation  of  that  name  !  "  they  exclaimed  ;  and     61, 
they  made  signs  to  the  •child's  father,  to  find  out  what  he 
wished  the  child  to  be  called.     Asking  for  a  writing-tablet,  he     63 
wrote  the  words — 'His  name  is  John.'     Every  one  was  sur- 
prised ;  and  immediately  Zechariah  recovered  his  voice  and  the     64 
use  of  his  tongue,  and  began  to  bless  God.  All  their    65 

neighbours  were  awe-struck  at  this  ;  and  throughout  the  hill- 
country  of  Judaea  the  whole  story  was  much  talked  about ; 
and  all  who  heard  it  kept  it  in  mind,  asking  one  another —    66 
"  What  can  this  child  be  destined  to  become  ?  "    For  the  Power 
of  the  Lord  was  with  him. 

Then  his  father  Zechariah  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,     67 
and,  speaking  under  inspiration,  said  : 

"  Blessed  is  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  68 

Who  has  visited  his  people  and  wrought  their  deliverance, 
And  has  raised  up  for  us  the  Strength  of  our  Salvation  69 

In  the  House  of  his  servant  David — 

As  he  promised  by  the  lips  of  his  holy  Prophets  of  old —  70 

Salvation  from  our  enemies  and  from  the  hands  of  all  that  71 
hate  us, 

Showing  mercy  to  our  forefathers,  72 

And  mindful  of  his  sacred  Covenant. 

This  was  the  oath  which  he  swore  to  our  forefather  Abraham —  73 

That  we  should  be  rescued  from  the  hands  of  our  enemies,  74 

And  should  serve  him  without  fear  in  holiness  and  righteousness,  75 
In  his  presence  all  our  days. 

And  thou,  Child,  shalt  be  called  Prophet  of  the  Most  High,  76 

For  thou  shalt  go  before  the  Lord  to  make  ready  his  way, 

To  give  to  his  people  the  knowledge  of  salvation  77 

In  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins, 

Through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God,  78 

Whereby  the  Dawn  will  break  on  us  from  Heaven, 

To  give  light  to  those  who  dwell  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of     79- 

death, 
And  guide  our  feet  into  the  Way  of  Peace." 

The  child  grew  and  became  strong  in  spirit  ;  and  he  lived  in     i 
the  Wilds  till  the  time  came  for  his  appearance  before  Israel. 

«P».  41.  13;  Exod.  3.  16;  Ps.  in.  9.  »  Ps.  18.  a;  80.  24,  20.  71  ps.  I06.  lo. 
7>Mic.  7.  ao;  Ps.  105.  8;  Dan.  ii.  38.  W  Mic.  7.  20.  76  Mai.  3.  i.  78  Zech.  6.  la. 
(Septuagint).  7»  I8a.  9.  a  ;  Ps.  107.  10 ;  Isa.  59.  8. 


LUKE,  2.  107 

The  Birth  and     About  that  time  an  edict  was  issued  by  the     i 
circumcision  Emperor  Augustus   that    a    census    should    be 

of  Jesus,      taken    of   the    whole   Empire.      (This  was    the     2 
first  census  taken  while  Quirinius  was  Governor  of  Syria). 
And    every    one     went     to     his     own    town    to     be     regis-     3 
tered.  Among  others  Joseph  went  up  from  the  town     4 

of  Nazareth  in  Galilee  to  Bethlehem,  the  town  of  David,  in 
Judaea — because  he  belonged   to   the  family   and    house  of 
David — to    be    registered    with    Mary,    his    betrothed    wife,     5 
who   was   about    to    become   a  mother.  While   they    6 

were  there  her  time  came,  and  she  gave  birth  to  her  first  child,     7 
a  son.     And  because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn, 
she  swathed  him  round  and  laid  him  in  a  manger. 

In  that  same  country-side  were  shepherds  out  iii  the  open     8 
fields,  watching  their   flocks  that   night,  when  an  angel  of    9 
the  Lord  suddenly  stood  by  them,  and  the  Glory  of  the  Lord 
shone  around  them  ;  and  they  were  seized  with  fear. 

"  Have  no  fear,"  the  angel  said.      "  For  I  bring  you  good     10 
news  of  a  great  joy  in  store  for  all  the  nation.     This  day  there     1 1 
has  been  born  to  you,  in  the  town  of  David,  a  Saviour,  who 
is  Christ  and  Lord.    And  this  shall  be  the  sign  for  you.    You     12 
will  find  the  infant  swathed,  and  lying  in  a  manger." 
Then  suddenly  there  appeared  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of    13 
the  heavenly  Host,  praising  God,  and  singing — 

"  Glory  to  God  on  high,  14 

And  on  earth  peace  among  men  in  whom  he  finds  pleasure." 

Now,   when  the  angels  had  left  them  and    gone  back  to     15 
Heaven,  the  shepherds  said  to  one  another  : 

"  Let  us  go  at  once  to  Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing  that 
has  happened,  of  which  the  Lord  has  told  us." 
So  they  went  quickly,  and  found  Mar}-  and  Joseph,  and  the     16 
infant  lying  in  a  manger  ;  and,  when  they  saw  it,  they  told  of    17 
all   that  had  been  said  to  them  about  this  child.      All  who     18 
heard  the  shepherds  were  astonished  at  their  story,  while  Mary     19 
treasured  up  all  that  they  said,   and  dwelt  upon  it  in  her 
thoughts.     And  the  shepherds  went  back,  giving  glory  and     20 
praise  to  God  for  all  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  as  it  had 
been  told  them. 

Eight  days  after  the  birth  of  the  child,  when  it  was  time  to     21 
circumcise  him,  he  received  the  name  Jesus — the  name  given 
him  by  the  angel  before  his  conception. 

When  the  period  of  purification  of  mother  and     22 
Presentation  child,  enjoined  by  the  Law  of  Moses,  came  to  an 
of  Jesus  in    end,  his  parents  took  the  child  up  to  Jerusalem 

5  Temple.   to    present    h|m    to    ^g    Lord,    in     compliance     23 
with  the  Law  of  the  Lord  that  '  every  first-born  male  shall  be 
"  Ps.  2.  2.    22  Lev.  12.  6.    23  Exod.  13.  2. 


108  LUKE,  2. 

dedicated  to  the  Lord,'  and  also  to  offer  the  sacrifice  enjoined     2^ 
in  the  Law  of  the  Lord — '  a  pair  of  turtle-doves  or  two  young 
pigeons. ' 

There  was  at  that  time  in  Jerusalem  a  man  named  Simeon,     25 
a  righteous  and  devout  man,  who  lived  in  constant  expecta- 
tion of  the  Consolation  of  Israel,  and  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.     It  had  been  revealed  to  him  by  the  Holy  Spirit     26 
that  he  should  not  die  until  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ. 
Moved  by  the  Spirit,  Simeon  came  into  the  Temple  Courts,     27 
and,  when  the  parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus,  to  do  for 
him  what  was  customary   under  the  Law,  Simeon   himself    28 
took  the  child  in  his  arms,  and  blessed  God,  and  said  : 

"  Now,  Lord,  thou  wilt  let  thy  servant  go,  29 

According-  to  thy  word,  in  peace, 

For  my  eyes  have  seen  the  Salvation  30 

Which  thou  hast  prepared  in  the  sight  of  all  nations —  31 

A  Light  to  bring  light  to  the  Gentiles,  32 

And  to  be  the  Glory  of  thy  people  Israel." 

While  the  child's  father  and  mother  were  wondering  at  what  33 
was  said  about  him,  Simeon  gave  them  his  blessing,  and  said  34 
to  Mary,  the  child's  mother  : 

"  This  child  is  appointed  to  be  the  cause  of  the  fall  and  rise 
of  many  in  Israel,  and  to  be  a  sign  much  spoken  against — 
yes,  the  sword  will  pierce  your  own  heart — and  so  the  thoughts     35 
in  many  minds  will  be  disclosed." 

There  was  also  a  Prophetess  named  Hannah,  a  daughter  of    36 
Phanuel  and  of  the  tribe  of  Asher.     She  was  far  advanced  in 
years,  having  lived  with  her  husband  for  seven  years  after 
marriage,  and  then  a  widow,  till  she  had  reached  the  age  of    37 
eighty-four.    She  never  left  the  Temple  Courts,  but,  fasting  and 
praying,  worshipped  God  night  and  day.     At  that  moment     38 
she' came  up,  and  began  publicly  to  thank  God  and  to  speak 
about  the  child  to  all  who  were  looking  for  the  deliverance  of 
Jerusalem. 
The  Boyhood      When  the  child's  parents  had  done  everything     39 

of          enjoined  by  the  Law  of  the  Lord,  they  returned 
joaus.       to  Galilee  to  their  own  town  of  Nazareth. 

The  child  grew  and  became  strong  and  wise,  and  the  bless-    40 
ing  of  God  was  upon  him. 

Every  year  the  child's  parents  used  to  go  to  Jerusalem  at  the    41 
Passover  Festival.  When  Jesus  was  twelve  years  old,     42 

they  went  according  to  custom  to  Jerusalem,  and  had  finished     43 
their  visit  ;  but,  when  they  started  to  return,  the  boy  Jesus  re- 
mained behind  in  Jerusalem,  without  their  knowing  it.    Think-    44 
ing  that  he  was  with  their  fellow-travellers,  they  went  one  day's 
u  Lev.  ii.  8.    30  Isa.  40.  5 ;  52.  10.    y*  Isa.  44.  6 ;  49.  6.    "  Isa.  8.  15. 


LUKE,  2-3.  109 

journey  before  searching  for  him  among  their  relations  and 
acquaintances ;  and  then,  as  they  did  not  find  him,  they  returned     45 
to  Jerusalem,  searching  everywhere  for  him.     It  was  not  till  the    46 
third  day  that  they  found  him  in  the  Temple  Courts,  sitting 
among  the  Teachers,  now  listening  to  them,  now  asking  them 
questions.    All  who  listened  to  him  marvelled  at  his  intelligence    47 
and  his  answers.     His  parents  were  amazed  when  they  saw    48 
him,  and  his  mother  said  to  him  : 

"  My  child,  why  have  you  treated  us  like  this  ?     Your  father 
and  I  have  been  searching  for  you  in  great  distress. " 

"  What  made  you  search  for  me?"   he  answered.     "Did     49 
not  you  know  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father's  House  ?  " 
His  parents  did  not  understand  what  he  meant.     However  he    50, 
went  down  with  them  to  Nazareth,  and  submitted  himself  to 
their  control;  and  his  mother  treasured  all  that  was  said  in 
her  heart. 

And  Jesus   grew  in   wisdom  as  he  grew  in  years,   and     52 
'gained  the  blessing  of  God  and  men.' 


II. — THE  PREPARATION. 

The  Ba  tist        ^n  *'ie  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  the  Emperor     i  3 
and  his      Tiberius,  when  Pontius  Pilate  was  Governor  of 
Message.     Judaea,  Herod  Ruler  of  Galilee,  his  brother  Philip 
Ruler  of  the  territory  comprising  Ituraea  and  Trachonitis,  and 
Lysanias  Ruler  of  Abilene,  and  when  Annas  and  Caiaphas     2 
were  High  Priests,  a  Command  from  God  came  to  John,  the  son 
of  Zechariah,  while  he  was  in  the  Wilderness.    And  John  went    3 
through  the  whole  district  of  the  Jordan,  proclaiming  a  baptism 
upon  repentance,  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins.     This  was  in  ful-    4 
filment  of  what  is  said  in  the  writings  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah — 

'  The  voice  of  one  crying  aloud  in  the  Wilderness  t 
"  Make  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 

Make  his  paths  straight. 
Every  chasm  shall  be  filled,  5 

Every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  levelled, 
The  winding-  ways  shall  be  straightened, 
The  rough  roads  made  smooth, 

And  all  mankind  shall  see  the  Salvation  of  God." '  6 

And  John  said  to  the  crowds  that  went  to  be  baptized  by    7 
him  : 

"  You  brood  of  vipers  !  who  has  prompted  you  to  seek  refuge 
from  the  coming  judgement  ?     Let  your  lives,  then,  prove  your    8 

K  i  Sam.  2.  36.    4— *  Isa.  40.  3—5. 


110  LUKE,  3. 

repentance ;  and  do  not  begin  to  say  among  yourselves 
'  Abraham  is  our  ancestor,'  for  I  tell  you  that  out  of  these  very 
stones  God  is  able  to  raise  descendants  for  Abraham  !  Already,  9 
indeed,  the  axe  is  lying  at  the  root  of  the  trees.  Therefore 
every  tree  that  fails  to  bear  good  fruit  will  be  cut  down  and 
thrown  into  the  fire." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  then  ?  "  the  people  asked.  10 

"  Let  the  man  who  has  two  coats,  '  answered  John,  "share     n 
with  him  who  has  none  ;   and  the  man  who  has  food  do  the 
same." 
Even  tax-gatherers  came  to  be  baptized,  and  said  to  John  :         12 

"  Teacher,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

"  Do  not  collect  more  than  you  have  authority  to  demand,"  13 
John  answered.  And  when  some  soldiers'  on  active  service  14 
asked  "  And  we— what  are  we  to  do  ?  ",  he  said  : 

"  Never  use  violence,  or  exact  anything  by  false  accusation  ; 
and  be  content  with  your  pay. " 

Then,   while   the    people  were  in  suspense,   and  were  all     15 
debating  with  themselves  whether  John  could  be  the  Christ, 
John,  addressing  them  all,  said  :  16 

"  I,  indeed,  baptize  you  with  water  ;  but  there  is  coming  one 
more  powerful  than  I,  and  I  am  not  fit  even  to  unfasten  his 
sandals.  He  will  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire. 
His  winnowing-fan  is  in  his.  hand,  that  he  may  clear  his  17 
threshing-floor,  and  store  the  grain  in  his  barn,  but  the  chaff 
he  will  burn  with  inextinguishable  fire." 

And  so  with  many  different  exhortations  John  told  his  Good     18 
News  to  the  people.     But  Prince  Herod,  being  rebuked  by     19 
John  respecting  Herodias,  the  wife  of  Herod's  brother,  and 
for  all  the  evil  things  that  he  had  done,  crowned  them  all  by     20 
shutting  John  up  in  prison. 

The  Now  after  the  baptism  of  all  the  people,  and     21 

Baptism  of  when  Jesus  had  been  baptized  and  was  still  pray- 

jesua.        ing,   tne  heavens  opened,   and  the   Holy  Spirit     22 
descended,  in  a  visible  form,  like  a  dove,  upon  him,  and  from 
the  heavens  came  a  voice — 

"Thou  art  my  Son,  the  Beloved  ;   in  thee  I  delight." 

The  When  beginning  his  work,  Jesus  was  about     23 

Ancestor* or  thirty  \vars  old.     He  was  regarded  as  the  son  of 

Jesus.       Joseph,  whose  ancestors  were — 
Eli  Amos  Joseph 

Mattith  24  Nahum  Josheh 

Levi  Azaliah  Johanan  27 

Melchiah  Nogah  Rhesa 

Janna  Mattith  26  Zerubbabel 

Joseph  Mattithiah  Shealtiel 

Mattithiah         25  Shimei  Neriah 

M  Ps.  1 18.  26.    '-*•'  Ps.  a.  t ;  Isa.  42.  i. 


LUKE,  3-4.  Ill 

Melchiah  28  Nathan  Reu 

Addi  David  Peleg 

Cosam  Jesse  32  Eber 

Elmodam  Obed  Shelah 

Er  Boaz  Kenan  36 

Joshua  29  Salah  Arpachshad 

Eliezer  Nahshon  Shem 

Joram  Amminadab       33  Noah 

Mattith  Ami  Lamech 

Levi  Hezron  Methuselah        37 

Simeon  30  Perez  Enoch 

Judah  Judah  Jared 

Joseph  Jacob  34  Mahalalel 

Jonam  Isaac  Kenan 

Eliakim  Abraham  Enosh  38 

Meleah  31  Terah  Seth  and 

Menan  Nahor  Adam  the  son  of 

Mattithiah  Serug  35  GOD. 

The  On  returning-  from  the  Jordan,  full  of  the  Holy     i    < 

Temptation    Spirit,  Jesus  was  led  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit 

of  Jesus,     through  the  Wilderness  for  forty  days,  tempted  by     2 
the  Devil.  All  that  time  he  ate  nothing  ;  and,  when  it 

was  over,  he  became  hungry.     So  the  Devil  said  to  him  :  3 

"  If  you  are  God's  Son,  tell  this  stone  to  become  a  loaf  of 
bread. " 

And  Jesus  answered  him  :  "  Scripture  says — •  4 

'  It  is  not  on  bread  alone  that  man  is  to  live.'  " 

And  the  Devil  led  Jesus  up,  and,  showing  him  in  a  single     5 
moment  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  said  to  him  :  6 

"  I  will  give  you  all  this  power,  and  the  splendour  of  them  ; 
for  it  has  been  given  into  my  hands  and  I  give  it  to  whom  I 
wish.    If  you,  therefore,  will  do  homage  before  me,  it  shall  all     7 
be  yours. " 

And  Jesus  answered  him  :  "  Scripture  says —  8 

'  Thou  shalt  do  homage  to  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  worship 

him  only.'" 

The  Devil  next  led  him  into  Jerusalem,  and,  placing  him  on     9 
the  parapet  of  the  Temple,  said  : 

"  If  you  are  God's  Son  throw  yourself  down  from  here,  for     10 
Scripture  says — 

'  He  will  give  his  angels  commands  about  thee,  to  guard 

thee  safely,' 

and  II 

'  On  their  hands  they  will  upbear  thee, 
Lest  ever  thou  shouldst  strike  thy  foot  against  a  stone.'" 

3  Ps.  2.  7.    •*  Deut.  8.  3.     8  Deut.  6.  13.     w-U  Ps.  91.  11— la.. 


112  LUKE,  4 

But  Jesus  answered  him  :  "  It  is  said —  12 

'  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God.' " 

When  he  had  tried  every  kind  of  temptation,  the  Devil  left     13 
Jesus,  till  another  opportunity. 

III. — THE  WORK  IN  GALILEE. 

jeaus  begins      Moved  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  Jesus  returned     14 

HI*  work,     to  Galilee.     Reports  about  him  spread  through  all 
that  neighbourhood  ;   and  he  began  to  teach  in  their  Syna-     15 
gogues,  and  was  honoured  by  every  one. 

Jesus  Coming  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought     16 

teaches  at   up,   Jesus,    as    was    his    custom,   went    on    the 
Nazareth.     Sabbath  into  the  Synagogue,  and  stood  up  to 
read  the  Scriptures.     The  book  given  him  was  that  of  the     17 
Prophet  Isaiah  ;   and  Jesus  opened  the  book  and  found  the 
place  where  it  says — 

'  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  18 

For  he  has  consecrated  me  to  bring  Good  News  to  the  poor, 
He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  captives  and  restoration 

of  sight  to  the  blind, 
To  set  the  oppressed  at  liberty, 

To  proclaim  the  accepted  year  of  the  Lord.'  19 

Then,  closing  the  book  and  returning  it  to  the  attendant,  he     20 
sat  down.     The  eyes  of  all  in  the  Synagogue  were  fixed  upon 
him,  and  Jesus  began  :  21 

"This   very  day  this  passage  has   been    fulfilled   in  your 
hearing." 

All  who  were  present  spoke  well  of  him,  and  were  astonished     22 
at  the  beautiful  words  that  fell  from  his  lips. 

"  Is  not  he  Joseph's  son  ?  "  they  asked. 

"Doubtless, "said  Jesus,  "you  will  remind  me  of  the  saying —     23 
'Doctor,  cure  yourself;'  and  you  will  say  'Do  here  in  your 
own  country  all  that  we  have  heard  has  been  done  at  Caper- 
naum.'    I  tell  you,"  he  continued,  "  that  no  Prophet  is  accept-     24 
able  in  his  own  country.    There  were,  doubtless,  many  widows     25 
in  Israel  in  Elijah's  days,  when  the  heavens  were  closed  for 
three  years  and  six  months,  and  a  severe  famine  prevailed 
throughout  the  country ;  and  yet  it  was  not  to  one  of  them  that     26 
Elijah  was  sent,   but  to  a  widow  at  Zarephath  in  Sidonia. 
And    there  were   many  lepers   in   Israel   in  the  time  of  the     27 

•      «  Dcut.  6.  16.     18-19  I,a.  g,.  ,_a.     •»  ,  Kings  17.  9. 


LUKE,  4.  113 

Prophet  EHsha,  yet  it  was  not  one  of  them  who  was  made 
clean,  but  Naaman  the  Syrian." 

All  the  people  in  the   Synagogue,  as  they  listened  to  this,     28 
became  enraged.     Starting  up,  they  drove  Jesus  out  of  the     29 
town,  and  led  him  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  which  their  town 
stood,  intending  to  hurl  him  down.     But  he  passed  through     30 
the  middle  of  the  crowd  and  went  on  his  way. 

cure  of          Then  Jesus  went  down  to  Capernaum,  a  city     31 
a  possessed   in  Galilee.  On   the  Sabbath   he   taught 

Man.         the  people.     They  were  amazed  at  his  teaching,     32 
because  his  words  were  spoken  with  authority.     In  the  Syna-     33 
gogue  there  was  a  man  with  the  spirit  of  a  foul  demon  in 
him,  who  called  out  loudly  : 

"Stop!     What  do  you  want  with  us,  Jesus  of  Nazareth?     34 
Have  you  come  to  destroy  us  ?     I  know  who  you  are — the 
Holy  One  of  God  !  " 
But  Jesus  rebuked  the  demon.  35 

"  Be  silent !     Come  out  from  him,"  he  said. 
The  demon  flung  the  man  down  in  the  middle  of  the  people, 
and  then  came  out  from  him,  without  causing  him  further 
harm.    And  they  were  all  lost  in  amazement,  and  kept  saying     36    • 
to  one  another : 

"What  words  are  these?     For  he  gives  his  commands  to 
the  foul  spirits  with  a  marvellous  authority,  and  they  come  out." 
And  rumours  about  Jesus  travelled  through  every  place  in  the     37 
neighbourhood. 

On  leaving  the  Synagogue,  Jesus  went  into     38 
of  Peter's       Simon's  house.    Now  Simon's  mother-in-law  was 
Mother-in-iaw    suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  and  they 
and  .?*  mar>y    asked  Jesus  to  cure  her.      Bending  over  her,  he     TO 

others.  ,     J.  ..  ..  ,     ,-     ,  Jy 

rebuked  the  fever  ;   the  fever  left  her,  and  she 
immediately  got  up  and  began  to  wait  upon  them. 

At    sunset,    all   who    had    friends    suffering    from    various     40 
diseases  took  them  to  Jesus  ;  and  he  placed  his  hands  upon 
every  one  of  them  and  cured  them.     And  even  demons  came     41 
out   from    many   people,    screaming    '  You   are    the    Son   of 
God.'     Jesus  rebuked  them,  and  would   not  allow  them  to 
speak,  because  they  knew  that  he  was  the  Christ. 
Jesus  retires      ^  daybreak,  Jesus  went  out  and  walked  to  a     42 

to  a         lonely  spot.     But  crowds  of  people  began  to  look 
lonely  Place.  for  him  ;  and  they  came  to  where  he  was  and 
tried  to  detain  him  and  prevent  his  leaving  them.     Jesus,     43 
however,  said  to  them  : 

"  I  must  take  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  the 
other  towns  also,  for  that  was  why  I  was  sent." 
And  he  continued  to  make  his  proclamation  in  the  Synagogues     44 
of  Judaea. 

?*  jPs.  16. 10, 


114  LUKE,  5. 

The  Once,   when  the  people  were  pressing  round     i 

great  Catch  Jesus   as   they   listened    to   God's    Message,    he 
of  Fish.       happened  to  be  standing  by  the  shore  of  the  Lake 
of  Gennesaret,  and  saw  two  boats  close  to  the  shore.     The     2 
fishermen  had  gone  away  from  them  and  were  washing  the 
nets.     So,  getting  into  one  of  the  boats,  which  belonged  to     3 
Simon,  Jesus  asked  him  to  push  off  a  little  way  from  the  shore, 
and  then  sat  down  and  taught  the  people   from  the  boat. 
When  he  had  finished  speaking,  he  said  to  Simon  :  4 

"  Push  off  into  deep  water,  and  all  throw  out  your  nets  for  a     • 
haul." 

"We  have  been  hard  at  work  all  night,  Sir,"  answered     5 
Simon,  "  and  have  not  caught  anything,  but,  at  your  bidding, 
I  will  throw  out  the  nets." 

They  did  so,  and  enclosed  such  a  great  shoal  of  fish  that  their     6 
nets  began  to  break.     So  they  signalled  to  their  partners  in     7 
the  other  boat  to  come  and  help  them  ;   and  they  came  and 
filled  both  the  boats  so  full  of  fish  that  they  were  almost  sink- 
ing.    When  Simon  Peter  saw  this,  he  threw  himself  down  at     8 
Jesus'  knees,  exclaiming  : 

"  Master,  leave  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man  ! " 

For   he   and   all   who  were  with   him  were    lost   in   amaze-    9 
ment  at  the  haul  offish  which  they  had  made;  and  so,  too,     10 
were  James  and  John,  Zebediah's  sons,  who  were  Simon's 
partners. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,"  Jesus  said  to  Simon  ;  "  from  to-day  you 
shall  catch  men." 

And,  when  they  had  brought  their  boats  to  shore,  they  left     n 
everything,  and  followed  him. 


cure  On  one  occasion  Jesus  was  staying  in  a  town,     12 

or  a.  Leper,  when  he  saw  a  man  who  was  covered  with  leprosy. 
When  the  leper  saw  Jesus,  he  threw  himself  on  his  face  and 
implored  his  help  : 

"  Master,  if  only  you  are  willing,  you  are  able  to  make  me 
clean." 

Stretching  out  his  hand,  Jesus  touched  him,  saying  as  he  did     13 
so : 

"  I  am  willing  ;  become  clean." 

Instantly  the  leprosy  left  the  man  ;  and  then  Jesus  impressed     14 
upon  him  that  he  was  not  to  say  a  word  to  any  one,  "  but,"  he 
added,  "set  out  and  show  yourself  to  the  Priest,  and  make 
the  offerings  for  your  cleansing,  in  the  manner  directed  by 
Moses,  as  evidence  of  your  cure."     However,  the  story  about     15 
Jesus  spread  all  the  more,  and  great  crowds  came  together 
to  listen  to  him,  and  to  be  cured  of  their  illnesses  ;  but  Jesus     16 
used  to  withdraw  to  lonely  places  and  pray. 
14  Lev.  13.  49. 


LUKE,  5.  115 

cure  of          ^n  one  °f tnose  days,  when  Jesus  was  teaching,     17 
a  paraiyzod  some   Pharisees  and   Doctors  of  the  Law  were 
Man.         sitting  near  by.     (They  had  come  from  all  the 
villages  in  Galilee  and  Judaea,  and  from  Jerusalem  ;  and  the 
power  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Jesus,  so  that  he  could  work 
cures.)     And  there  some  men  brought  on  a  bed  a  man  who     18 
was  paralyzed.     They  tried  to  get  him  in  and  lay  him  before 
Jesus  ;  but,  finding  no  way  of  getting  him  in,  owing  to  the     19 
crowd,  they  went  up  on  the  roof  and  lowered  him  through  the 
tiles,  with  his  pallet,   into  the  middle  of  the  people  and  in 
front  of  Jesus.     When  he  saw  their  faith,  Jesus  said  :  20 

"  Friend,  your  sins  have  been  forgiven  you." 

The  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  the  Pharisees  began  debating     21 
about  this. 

"Who  is  this  man  who  speaks  so  blasphemously?"  they 
asked.      "  Who  can  forgive  sins  except  God  ?  " 
When  Jesus  became  aware  of  the  way  in  which  they  were     22 
debating,  he  turned  to  them  and  exclaimed  : 

"What  are  you  debating  with  yourselves?     Which  is  the     23 
easier  ? — to  say  '  Your  sins  have  been  forgiven  you  '  ?  or  to 
say  '  Get  up,  and  walk  about '  ?     But  that  you  may  know  that     24 
the  Son  of  Man  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins — "  here 
he  spoke  to  the  paralyzed  man — "To  you  I  say,  Get  up,  and 
take  up  your  pallet,  and  go  to  your  home." 

Instantly  the  man  stood  up  before  their  eyes,  took  up  what     25 
he   had    been    lying    on,    and    went   to    his   home,   praising 
God.  The  people,  one  and  all,  were  lost  in  amazement,     26 

and  praised  God  ;  and  in  great  awe  they  said  : 

"  We  have  seen  marvellous  things  to-day  !  " 

can  of          After  this,  Jesus  went  out ;   and  he  noticed  a     27 
Levi.         tax-gatherer,  named  Levi,  sitting  in  the  tax-office, 
and  said  to  him  :   "  Follow  me." 

Levi  left  everything  and  got  up  and  followed  him.  And     28, 

Jesus  blamed  ^ev'  gave  a  great  entertainment  at  his  house,  in 
for  his       honour  of  Jesus  ;   and  a  large   number  of  tax- 
Companions,  gatherers  and  others  were  at  table  with  them. 
The  Pharisees  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  belonging  to  their     30 
party  complained  of  this  to  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 

"  Why  do  you  eat  and  drink  with  tax-gatherers  and  out- 
casts ?  " 
In  answer  Jesus  said  :  31 

"  It  is  not  those  who  are  well  that  need  a  doctor,  but  those 
who  are  ill.     I  have  not  come  to  call  the  religious,  but  the     32 
outcast,  to  repent." 

The  Disciples       "John's  disciples,"  they  said  to  Jesus,  "often     33 
blamed  for    fast  ant|  sa    pravers  ancj  so  do  the  disciples  of  the 

not  observing  J    \   ,    J  .  .     ,r.     ,   .  ... 

the  Law.      Pharisees,  while  yours  are  eating  and  drinking  ! 

2*  Dan.  7.  13. 


116  LUKE,  5—6. 

But  Jesus  answered  them  :  34 

"Can  you  make  the  bridegroom's  friends  fast  while  the 
bridegroom  is  with  them  ?     But  the  days  will  come — a  time     35 
when  the  bridegroom  will  be  parted  from  them  ;  and  they  will 
fast  then,  when  those  days  come." 
Then,  as  an  illustration,  Jesus  said  to  them  :  36 

"  No  man  ever  tears  a  piece  from  a  new  garment  and  puts  it 
upon  an  old  one  ;  for,  if  he  does,  he  will  not  only  tear  the  new 
garment,  but  the  piece  from  the  new  one  will  not  match  the 
old.     And  no  man  puts  new  wine  into  old  wine-skins  ;  for,  if    37 
he  does,   the  new  wine  will  burst  the  skins,  and  the  wine 
itself  will  run  out,   and  the  skins  be  lost.      But  new  wine     38 
must  be  put  into  fresh  skins.  No  man  after  drinking     39 

old  wine  wishes  for  new.  'No,'  he  says,  'the  old  is  excel- 
lent.'" 

One  Sabbath  Jesus  was  walking  through  cornfields,  and     i 
his  disciples  were  picking  the  ears  of  wheat,  and  rubbing  them 
in  their  hands,  and  eating  them. 

"  Why  are  you  doing  what  it  is  not  allowable  to  do  on  the     2 
Sabbath  ?  "  asked  some  of  the  Pharisees. 
Jesus'  answer  was  :  3 

"  Have  not  you  read  even  of  what  David  did,  when  he  was 
hungry,  he  and  his  companions — that  he  wenf  into  the  House     4 
of  God,  and  took  the  consecrated  bread  and  ate  it,  and  gave 
some  to  his  companions,  though  only  the  priests  are  allowed 
to  eat  it?" 
Then  Jesus  added  :  5 

"  The  Son  of  Man  is  lord  even  of  the  Sabbath." 

On  another  Sabbath  Jesus  went  into  the  Syna-     6 
a  MaiT  with   g°gue  an^  taught ;  and  there  was  a  man  there 
a  withered    whose  right  hand  was  withered.    The  Teachers  of    7 

H*nd-        the  Law  and  the  Pharisees  watched  Jesus  closely, 
to  see  if  he  would  work  cures  on  the  Sabbath,  so  that  they 
might  find  a  charge  to  bring  against  him.     Jesus,  however,     8 
kiK-w  what  was  in  their  minds,  and  said  to  the  man  whose 
hand  was  withered  : 

"  Stand  up  and  come  out  into  the  middle." 
The  man  stood  up  ;  and  Jesus  said  to  them  :  9 

"  I  ask  you,  is  it  allowable  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath — or 
harm  ?  to  save  a  life,  or  let  it  perish  ?  " 
Then,  looking  round  at  them  all,  he  said  to  the  man  :  10 

"  Stretch  out  your  hand." 

The  man  did  so  ;  and  his  hand  had  become  sound.  But     n 

the  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  the  Pharisees  were  goaded  to 
madness,  and  consulted  together  what  they  could  do  to 
Jesus. 

*  i  Sam.  ai.  6. 


LUKE,  6.  117 

The  twelve        Now  about  that  time,  Jesus  went  out,  up  the  hill,     12 

Apostles,     to  pray,  and  spent  the  whole  night  in  prayer  to 
God.     When    day   came,    he   summoned   his    disciples,    and     13 
chose  twelve  of  them,  whom  he  also  named  '  Apostles.'     They 
were  Simon  (whom  Jesus  also  named  Peter),  and  his  brother     14 
Andrew,     James,     John,     Philip,     Bartholomew,     Matthew,     15 
Thomas,  James  son  of  Alphaeus,  Simon  known  as  the  Zealot, 
Judas  son  of  James,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  who  proved  a  traitor.     16 
Afterwards  Jesus  came  down  the   hill  with  them  and  took     17 
his  stand  on  a  level  place.     With  him  were  a  large  crowd  of 
his  disciples,  and  great  numbers  of  people  from  the  whole  of 
Judaea,  Jerusalem,  and  the  coast  district  of  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
who  had  come  to  hear  him  and  to  be  restored  to  health.  Those,     18 
too,  who  were  troubled  with   foul   spirits  were  cured  ;    and     19 
every  one  in  the  crowd  was  trying  to  touch  him,  because  a  power 
went  out  from  him  which  restored  them  all.  Then,     20 

THE  'SERMON  raising  his  eyes  and  looking  at  his  disciples,  Jesus 

ON  THE      spoke  as  follows  : 

MOUNT.'          «  giessecj  are  vou  who  are  poor,  for  yours  is  the 
The         Kingdom  of  God. 

Happy.       Blessed  are  you  who  hunger  now,  for  you  shall  be     21 
satisfied. 

Blessed  are  you  who  weep  now,  for  you  shall  laugh. 
Blessed  are  you  when  men  hate  you,  and  when  they  expel  you     22 
from  among  them,  and  taunt  you,  and  reject  your  Name  as  an 
evil  thing — on  account  of  the  Son  of  Man.     Then  indeed  you     23 
may  be  glad  and  dance  for  joy,  for  be  sure  that  your  reward  in 
Heaven  will  be  great ;  for  that  is  what  their  ancestors  did  to 
the  Prophets. 

The  But  'alas  for  you  who  are  rich,'  for  you  have     24 

unhappy,     had  your  comforts  in  full. 

Alas  for  you  who  are  sated  now,  for  you  will  hunger.  25 

Alas    for    you    who    laugh    now,    for  you  will   mourn  and 
weep. 

Alas  for  you  when  all  men  speak  well  of  you  ;  for  this  is  what     26 
their  ancestors  did  to  the  false  Prophets. 

The  New          ^ut  to  vou  w^°  hear  I  say — Love  your  enemies,     27 
Law—        show  kindness  to  those  who  hate  you,  bless  those     28 

on  Love,      who  curse  you,  pray  for  those  who  insult  you. 
When  a  man  gives  one  of  you  a  blow  on  the  cheek,  offer  the     29 
on  other  cheek  as  well ;  and,  when  any  one  takes 

Revenge,     away  your  cloak,  do   not  keep  back  your  coat 
either.     Give   to   every   one   who   asks   of  you  ;    and,    when     30 
any  one  takes  away  what  is  yours,  do  not  demand  its  return. 

The          Do  to  others  as  you  wish  them  to  do  to  you.     If    31, 
Golden  Rule,  you  love  only  those  who  love  you,  what  thanks 
will  be  due  to  you  ?     Why,  even  the  outcast  love  those  who 
love  them !     For,  if  you  show  kindness  only  to  those  who  show     33 

20  Isa.  61.  i.    24  Enoch  94.  8. 


118  LUKE,  6-7. 

kindness  to  you,  what  thanks  will  be  due  to  you  ?     Even 
the  outcast  do  thatf     If  you  lend  only  to  those  from  whom     34 
you  expect  to  get  something,  what  thanks  will  be  due  to  you  ? 
Even   the   outcast  lend   to  the   outcast   in  the  hope  of  get- 
ting   as    much    in    return  !      But    love    your    enemies,    and     35 
show  them  kindness,   and  lend  to  them,   never  despairing. 
Then  your  reward  shall  be  great,  and  you  shall  be  Sons  of 
the   Most  High,   for  he  is   kind   to    the   thankless   and   the 
bad.  Learn  to  be  merciful — even  as  your  Father  is     36 

On  merciful.      Do  not  judge,   and  you  will  not  be     37 

judging  judged  ;  do  not  condemn,  and  you  will  not  be  con- 
others,  demned.  Forgive,  and  you  will  be  forgiven.  Give, 
and  others  will  give  to  you.  A  generous  measure,  pressed  and 
shaken  down,  and  running  over,  will  they  pour  into  your  lap  ;  38 
for  the  measure  that  you  mete  will  be  meted  out  to  you  in 
return." 

Then,  speaking  in  parables,  Jesus  said  :  39 

' '  Can  one  blind  man  guide  another  ?     Will  they  not  both  fall 
into  a  ditch  ?     A  scholar  is  not  above  his  teacher ;  yet  every    40 
finished  scholar  shall  be  like  his  teacher.  And  why  do     41 

you  look  at  the  straw  in  your  brother's  eye,  while  you  pay 
no  attention  at  all  to  the  beam  in  your  own  ?  How  can  you  42 
say  to  your  brother  '  Brother,  let  me  take  out  the  straw  in 
your  eye,'  while  you  yoursejf  do  not  see  the  beam  in  your  own  ? 
Hypocrite  !  Take  out  the  beam  from  your  own  eye  first,  and 
then  you  will  see  clearly  how  to  take  out  the  straw  in  your 
brother's.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  good  tree  bear-  43 

True  and  false  nlg  worthless  fruit,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  a  worth- 
Teachers,     less  tree  bearing  good  fruit.     For  every  tree  is     44 
known  by  its  own  fruit.     People  do  not  gather  figs  off  thorn 
bushes,  nor  pick  a  bunch  of  grapes  off  a  bramble.     A  good     45 
man,  from  the  good  stores  of  his  heart,  brings  out  what  is  good  ; 
while  a  bad  man,  from  his  bad  stores,  brings  out  what  is  bad. 
For  what  fills  a  man's  heart  will  rise  to  his  lips.  Why     46 

Th«  two      do  You  call  me  '  Master !  Master  ! '  and  yet  fail  to 
Foundations,  do  what  I  tell  you  ?     Every  one  who  comes  to  me     47 
and  listens  to  my  teaching  and  acts  upon  it — I  will  show  you 
to  whom  he  may  be  compared.     He  may  be  compared  to  a  man     48 
building  a  house,   who  dug,  and   went   deep,  and   laid    the 
foundation    upon    the    rock.     Then,    when    a    flood    came, 
the  river  swept  down  upon  that  house,  but  had  no  power  to 
shake  it,  because  it  had  been  built  well.     But  those  who  have     49 
listened  and  not  acted  upon  what  they  have  heard  may  be 
compared  to  a  man  who  built  a  house  on  the  ground  without 
any  foundation.      The  river  swept  down   upon   it,  and  the 
house  immediately  collapsed ;  and  great  was  the  crash  that 
followed." 

When  Jesus  had  brought  to  a  conclusion  all  that  he  then  had     I 
to  say  to  the  people,  he  entered  Capernaum. 


LUKE,  7.  119 

cure  of          A  Captain   in  the  Roman  army  had  a  slave     2 
an  officer's  whom  he  valued,  and  who  was  seriously  ill — 

servant,      almost  at  the  point  of  death.     And,  hearing  about     3 
Jesus,    he  sent    some  Jewish  Councillors   to   him,   with    the 
request  that  he  would  come  and  save  his  slave's  life.     When     4 
they  found  Jesus,  they  earnestly  implored  him  to  do  so. 

"  He  is  a  man  who  deserves  that  you  should  show  him  this 
favour,"  they  said,  "  for  he  is  devoted  to  our  nation,  and  him-     5 
self  built  our  Synagogue  for  us." 

So  Jesus  went  with  them.     But,  when  he  was  no  great  distance     6 
from   the   house,    the   Captain   sent   some    friends   with    the 
message — 

"  Do  not  trouble  yourself,  Sir  ;  for  I  am  unworthy  to  receive 
you  under  my  roof.     That  was  why  I  did  not  even  venture  to     7 
come  to  you  myself;  but  speak,  and  let  my  manservant  be 
cured.     For  I  myself  am  a  man  under  the  orders  of  others,  with     8 
soldiers  under  me  ;  and  if  I  say  to  one  of  them  '  Go,'  he  goes, 
and   to   another   '  Come,'   he  comes,   and  to  my  slave   '  Do 
this,'  he  does  it." 

Jesus  was  surprised  to  hear  these  words  from  him  ;  and,  turn-    9 
ing  to  the  crowd  which  was  following  him,  he  said  : 

"  I  tell  you,  nowhere  in  Israel  have  I  met  with  such  faith  as 
this  ! " 

And,  when  the  messengers  returned  to  the  house,  they  found     10 
the  slave  recovered. 

Raising  of  a       Shortly  after,  Jesus  went  to  a  town  called  Nain,     n 
widow's  son.  his  disciples  and  a  great  crowd  going  with  him. 
Just  as  he  approached  the  gate  of  the  town,  there  was  a  dead     12 
man  being  carried  out  for  burial — an  only  son,  and  his  mother 
was  a  widow.      A  large  number  of  the   people  of  the  town 
were  with  her.     When  he  saw  her,  the  Master  was  moved     13 
with  compassion  for  her,  and  he  said  to  her  :   "  Do  not  weep." 
Then   he  went   up   and  touched    the  bier,   and    the  bearers     14 
stopped  ;  and  Jesus  said  : 

"  Young  man,  I  am  speaking  to  you — Rise  !  " 
The  dead  man  sat  up  and  began  to  talk,  and  Jesus  restored     15 
him  to  his  mother.  Every  one  was  awe-struck  and     16 

began  praising  God. 

"A  great  Prophet  has  arisen  among  us,"  they  said  ;  "and 
God  has  visited  his  people." 

And  this  story  about  Jesus  spread  all  through  Judaea,  and  in     17 
the  neighbouring  countries  as  well. 

The  Baptist's      ^H  these  events  were  reported  to  John  by  his     18 
Message  to   disciples.     So  he  summoned  two  of  them,  and     19 

Jesus.        sent  them  to  the  Master  to  ask — 
"  Are  you  '  The  Coming  One,'  or  are  we  to  look  for  some  one 
else  ?  " 

i»Ps.  118.  26. 


120  LUKE,  7. 

When  these  men  found  Jesus,  they  said  :  20 

"John  the  Baptist  has  sent  us  to  you  to  ask  —  '  Are  you  'The 
Coming  One,'  or  are  we  to  look  for  somebody  else  ?  '  ' 
At  that  very  time  Jesus  had  cured  many  people  of  diseases,     21 
afflictions,  and  wicked  spirits,  and  had  given  many  blind  people 
their  sight.     So  his  answer  to  the  question  was  :  22 

"  Go  and  report  to  John  what  you  have  witnessed  and  heard 
—  the  blind  recover  their  sight,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are 
made  clean,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  to  life,  the 
Good  News  is  told  to  the  poor.     And  blessed'  is  the  man  who     23 
finds  no  hindrance  in  me." 

When    John's    messengers    had    left,    Jesus,     24 
Testimony  of  speaking    to    the    crowds,    began    to    say    with 

jesus  to      reference  to  John  : 

the  Baptist.        "What  did  you  go  out  into  the  Wilderness  to     25 
look  at  ?     A  reed  waving  in  the  wind  ?     If  not,  what  did  you  go 
out  to  see  ?     A  man  dressed  in  rich  clothing  ?     Why,  those 
who  are  accustomed  to  fine  clothes  and  luxury  live  in  royal 
palaces.     What  then  did  you  go  to  see  ?     A  Prophet  ?     Yes,  I     26 
tell  you,  and  far  more  than  a  Prophet.     This  is  the  very  man     27 
of  whom  Scripture  says  — 

'  Behold,  I  am  sending-  my  Messenger  before  thy  face, 
And  he  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee.' 

There  is,  I  tell  you,  no  one  born  of  a  woman  who  is  greater    28 
than  John  ;  and  yet  the  lowliest  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
greater  than  he." 

(All   the   people,   when   they   heard   this,  and  even  the  tax-     29 
gatherers,  having  accepted  John's  baptism,  acknowledged  the 
justice  of  God.     But  the  Pharisees  and  the  Students  of  the      30 
Law,  having  rejected  John's  baptism,  frustrated  God's  purpose 
in  regard  to  them.) 

"To  what  then,"  Jesus  continued,   "shall  I  compare  the     31 
people  of  the  present  generation  ?     What  are  they  like  ?     They     32 
are  like  some  little  children  who  are  sitting  in  the  market- 
place and  calling  out  to  one  another  — 

'  We  have  played  the  flute  for  you,  but  you  have  not  danced  ; 
We  have  wailed,  but  you  have  not  wept  !  ' 

For  now  that  John  the  Baptist  has  come,  not  eating  bread  or    33 
drinking  wine,  you  are  saying  'He  has  a  demon  in  him'; 
and  now  that  the  Son  of  Man  has  come,  eating  and  drinking,     34 
you  are  saying  '  Here  is  a  glutton  and  a  wine-drinker,  a  friend 
of  tax-gatherers  and  outcasts.'    And  yet  Wisdom  is  vindicated     35 
by  all  her  children." 


of  the  Pharisees  asked  Jesus  to  dine  with     36 
•noint*d  by  him,  so  Jesus  went  to  his  house  and  took  his 
•  woman,     place  at  table.  Just  then  a  woman,  who    37 

22  Isa.  61.  i.    -a  Mai.  3.  i. 


LUKE,  7—8.  121 

was  an  outcast  in  the  town,  having  ascertained  that  Jesus  was 
at  table  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  brought  an  alabaster  jar  of  per- 
fume, and  placed  herself  behind  Jesus,  near  his  feet,  weeping.  38 
Then  she  began  to  make  his  feet  wet  with  her  tears,  and  she 
dried  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head,  repeatedly  ki  sing  his 
feet  and  anointing  them  with  the  perfume.  When  the 

Pharisee  who  had  invited  Jesus  saw  this,  he  said  to  himself:     39 

"  Had  this  man  been  '  The  Prophet,'  he  would  have  known 
who,  and  what  sort  of  woman,  this  is  who  is  touching  him,  and 
that  she  is  an  outcast." 
But,  addressing  him,  Jesus  said  :  40 

"  Simon,  I  have  something  to  say  to  you." 

"  Pray  do  so,  Teacher,"  Simon  answered  ;  and  Jesus  began  : 
'There  were  two  people  who  were  in  debt  to  a  money-lender ;     41 
one  owed  fifty  pounds,  and  the  other  five.      As  they  were     42 
unable  to  pay,  he  forg-ave  them  both.     Which  of  them,  do  you 
think,  will  love  him  the  more  ?  " 

"  I  suppose,"  answered  Simon,  "  it  will  be  the  man  to  whom     43 
he  forgave  the  greater  debt. " 

"You  are  right,  "said  Jesus,  and  then,  turning  to  the  woman,     44 
he  said  to  Simon  : 

"Do  you  see  this  woman  ?  I  came  into  your  house — you  gave 
me  no  water  for  my  feet,  but  she  has  made  my  feet  wet  with 
tears  and  dried  them  with  her  hair.     You  did  not  give  me  one    45 
kiss,  but  she,  from  the  moment  I  came  in,  has  not  ceased 
to  kiss  my  feet.      You  did  not  anoint  even  my  head  with  oil,     46 
but  she  has  anointed  my  feet  with  perfume.     And  for  this,     47 
I  tell  you,  her  sins,  many  as  they  are,  have  been  pardoned, 
because    she    has    loved    greatly  ;    but   one    who    has    little 
pardoned  him,  loves  but  little." 

Then  he  said  to  the  woman  :  "  Your  sins  have  been  pardoned. "    48 
On  this,  those  at  table  began  to  say  to  one -another  :  49 

"  Who  is  this  man  who  even  pardons  sins  ?  " 
But  Jesus  said  to  the  woman  :  50 

"  Your  faith  has  delivered  you  ;  go,  and  peace  be  with  you." 

women  who       Shortly  afterwards,  Jesus  went  on  a  journey     i    8 
ministered    through  the  towns  and  villages,  proclaiming  the 
to  Jesus.      Good  News  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.     With  him 
went  the  Twelve,  as  well  as  some  women  who  had  been  cured     2 
of  wicked  spirits  and  of  infirmities.     They  were  Mary,  known 
as  Mary  of  Magdala  (from  whom  seven  demons  had  been 
expelled),  and  Joanna  (the  wife  of  Herod's  steward,  Chuza),     3 
and  Susannah,  and  many  others — all  of  whom  ministered  to 
Jesus  and  his  Apostles  out  of  their  means. 

Parable          Once,  when  a  great  crowd  was  collecting,  and,     4 
€*  the  sower,  when  the  people  of  town  after  town  were  flocking 
to  Jesus,  he  spoke  to  them  in  the  form  of  a  parable  : 

' '  The  sower  went  out  to  sow  his  seed ;  and,  as  he  was  sowing,     $ 


122  LUKE,  8. 

some  of  the  seed  fell  along  the  path  and  was  trodden  upon  ; 
and    the  wild    birds  ate   it  up.     Other  seed  fell  upon  rock,     6 
and,   as   soon    as   it   began    to    grow,  having    no    moisture, 
withered  away.      Other  seed  fell  in  the  middle  of  brambles,     7 
but  the  brambles   grew   up   with   it  and   choked   it  entirely. 
Other  seed  fell  into  rich  soil,  and  grew,  and  gave  a  hundred-    8 
fold  return." 
After  saying  this,  Jesus  cried  aloud  : 

"  Let  him  who  has  ears  to  hear  with  hear." 

His  disciples  asked  Jesus  the  meaning  of  this  parable.  9 

"To  you,  "he  said,  "the  knowledge  of  the  hidden  truths  of  the     10 
Kingdom  of  God  has  been  imparted,  but  to  others  in  parables 
only,  that  '  though    they  have  eyes  they  may  not  see,  and 
though  they  have  ears,  they  may  not  understand.'     This  is 
the  parable —  1 1 

The  seed  is  God's  Message.     By  the  seed  which  fell  along  the     12 
path  are  meant  those  who  hear  the  Message  ;  but  then  comes 
the  Devil  and  carries  away  the  Message  from  their  minds,  to 
prevent  their  believing  it  and  being  saved. 

By  the  seed  which  fell  upon  the  rock  are  meant  those  who,  as     13 
soon  as  they  hear  the  Message,  welcome  it  joyfully  ;  but  they 
have  no  root,  and  believe  it  only  for  a  time,  and,  when  the  time 
of  temptation  comes,  they  draw  back. 

By  that  which  fell  among  the  brambles  are  meant  those  who     14 
hear  the  Message,  but  who,  as  they  go  on  their  way,  are  com- 
pletely choked  by  this  world's  cares  and  wealth  and  pleasures, 
and  bring  nothing  to  perfection. 

But  by  that  in  the  good  ground  are  meant  those  who,  having     15 
heard  the  Message,  keep  it  in  the  good,  rich  soil  of  their 
hearts,  and  patiently  yield  a  return. 
LoHson  from       No  man  sets  light  to  a  lamp  and  then  covers  it     16 

a.  Lamp.      with  a  bowl  or  puts  it  underneath  a  couch,  but  he 
puts  it  on  a  lamp-stand,  so  that  anyone  who  comes  in  may  see 
the  light.     Nothing  is  hidden  which  will  not  be  brought  into     17 
the  light  of  day,  nor  ever  kept  hidden  which  will  not  some  day 
become  known  and  come  into  the  light  of  day.  Take     18 

care,  then,  how  you  listen.  For,  to  all  those  who  have,  more 
will  be  given  ;  while,  from  all  those  who  have  nothing,  even 
what  they  seem  to  have  will  be  taken  away." 

The  true          Presently  Jesus'   mother  and    brothers   came     19 
Brotherhood,  where  he  was,  but  they  were  not  able  to  join  Ifim 
on  account  of  the  crowd.      So  word  was  brought  to  him —     20 
'  Your  mother  and  your  brothers  are  standing  outside,  wanting 
to  see  you.' 
His  reply,  spoken  to  them  all,  was  :  21 

"  My  mother  and  my  brothers  are  those  who  listen  to  God's 
teaching  and  do  what  it  bids." 

JO  I  ....  6.  10. 


LUKE,  8.  123 

jesus  stiiis       One  day  about  that  time,  Jesus  got  into  a  boat    22 

a  storm,      with  his  disciples  and  said  to  them  :     "Let  us  go 
across  the  lake."     So  they  put  off.     While  they  were  sailing,     23 
Jesus  fell  asleep.     A  squall  swept  down  upon  the  lake,  and 
their  boat  was  filling  and  they  were  in   danger.      So   the     24 
disciples  came  and  roused  him. 

"  Sir,  Sir,"  they  cried,  "we  are  lost!" 

Jesus  rose  and  rebuked  the  wind  and  the  rushing  waves,  and 
they  fell,  and  a  calm  followed. 

"  Where  is  your  faith  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  25 

But  in  great  awe  and  amazement  they  said  to  one  another : 

"Who  can  this  be,  that  he  commands  even  the  winds  and 
the  waves,  and  they  obey  him  ?  " 

cure  of  a         And  tney  reached  the  country  of  the  Gerasenes, .   26 

Madman,     which  is  on  the  opposite  side  to  Galilee ;   and,  on     27 
getting  ashore,  Jesus  met  a  man,  who  had  demons  in  him, 
coming  out  of  the  town.     For  a  long  time  this  man  had  worn 
no  clothing,  and  he  had  not  lived  in  a  house,  but  in  the  tombs. 
Catching  sight  of  Jesus,  he  shrieked  out  and  threw  himself    28 
down  before  him,  and  in  a  loud  voice  exclaimed  : 

"  What  do  you  want  with  me,  Jesus,  Son  of  the  Most  High 
God  ?     I  beseech  you  not  to  torment  me." 

For  Jesus  was  commanding  the  foul  spirit  to  come  out  from     29 
the  man.  On  many  occasions  it  had  seized  him,  and,  even  when 
secured  with  chains  and  fetters,  and  watched,  he  would  break 
through  anything  that  bound  him,  and  be  driven  by  the  demon 
into  the  Wilds. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  Jesus  asked.  30 

"Legion,"  he  answered  (for  many  demons  had  taken  pos- 
session of  him) ;  and  the  demons  begged  Jesus  not  to  order    31 
them  away  into  the  bottomless  pit.  There  was  a  drove    32 

of  many  pigs  close  by  feeding  upon  the  hill-side  ;   and  the 
demons  begged  Jesus  to  give  them  leave  to  enter  into  them. 
Jesus  gave  them  leave.    They  came  out  from  the  man  and  took     33 
possession  of  the  pigs ;  and  the  drove  rushed  down  the  steep 
slope  into  the  lake  and  were  drowned.  When  the  men     34 

who  tended  them  saw  what  had  happened,  they  ran  away,  and 
carried  the  news  to  the  town,  and  to  the  country  round.     The     35 
people  went  out  to  see  what  had  happened,  and,  when  they  came 
to  Jesus,  they  found  the  man  from  whom  the  demons  had  gone 
out,  sitting,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind,  at  Jesus'  feet  ;  and 
they  were  awe-struck.     Those  who  had  seen  it  told  them  how    36 
the  possessed  man  had  been  delivered  ;  upon  which  all  the     37 
people  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Gerasenes  asked  Jesus  to 
leave  them,  for  they  were  terrified.     Jesus  got  into  a  boat  and 
returned.     The  man  from  whom  the  demons  had  gone  out     38 
begged  Jesus  to  let  him  be  with  him  ;  but  Jesus  sent  him  away. 

"  Go  back  to  your  home,"  he  said,  "  and  relate  the  story  of    39 
all  that  God  has  done  for  you." 


124  LUKE,  a 

So  the  man  went  through  the  whole  town  and  proclaimed,  as 
he  went,  all  that  Jesus  had  done  for  him. 

On  his  return,  Jesus  was  welcomed  by  the  people ;     40 
Thof*the'ne  for  every  one  was  looking  out  for  him.  And     41 

Daughter  of  a    man     named    Jaeirus,    who    was    a    Presi- 
jaeirus.      dent  of  the    Synagogue,  came    to    Jesus,    and 
threw  himself  at  Jesus'  feet,  with  entreaties  that  he  would 
come  to  his  house,  because  his  only  daughter,  who  was  about    42 

cure  or      twelve  years  old,  was  dying.    _  As  Jesus 

an  afflicted  was  going,  the  people  were  pressing  closely  round 

woman,      him.     And  a  woman,   who   had   suffered   from     43 
haemorrhage  for  twelve  years,  and  whom  no  one  could  cure, 
came  up  behind  and  touched  the  tassel  of  his  cloak.     Instantly    44 
the  haemorrhage  ceased. 

"  Who   was   it   that   touched   me  ?  "    Jesus   asked  ;   and,     45 
while   every  one   was   denying   having   done   so,    Peter    ex- 
claimed : 

"  Why,  Sir,  the  people  are  crowding  round  you  and  pressing 
upon  you  ! " 

"  Somebody  touched  me,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  for  I  felt  that  power    46 
had  gone  out  from  me." 

Then  the  woman,  when  she  saw  that  she  was  discovered,  came    47 
forward  trembling,  and  threw  herself  down  before  him  ;  and, 
in  presence  of  all  the  people,  she  told  him  her  reason  for  touch- 
ing him,  and  that  she  had  been  cured  instantly. 

"Daughter,"  he  said,  "your  faith  has  delivered  you.     Go,     48 
and  peace  be  with  you." 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking,  some  one  came  from  the    49 
house  of  the  President  of  the  Synagogue  and  said  : 

"Your  daughter  is  dead!      Do  not  trouble  the  Teacher 
further." 
But  Jesus,  hearing  this,  spoke  to  the  President :  50 

"  Do  not  be  afraid  ;   only  have  faith,  and  she  shall  yet  be 
delivered. " 

When  he  reached  the  house,  he  did  not  allow  any  one  to  go  in     51 
with  him,  except  Peter,  John,  and  James,  and  the  child's  father 
and  mother.     And  every  one  was  weeping  and  mourning  for    52 
her. 

"Do  not  weep,"  Jesus  said,  "she  is  not  dead;  she  is  asleep." 
They  began  to  laugh  at  him,  for  they  knew  that  she  was     53 
dead.     But,  taking  her  by  the  hand,  Jesus  said  in  a  loud     54 
voice : 

"Child,  rise!" 

The  child's  spirit  returned  to  her,  and  she  instantly  stood  up  ;     55 
and  Jesus  ordered  them  to  give  her  something  to  eat.     Her    56 
parents  were  amazed,  but  Jesus  impressed  on  them  that  they 
were  not  to  tell  any  one  what  had  happened. 

*•  Num.  15.  38. 


LUKE,  9.  125 

The  Mission      Jesus  called  the  Twelve  together.and  gave  them     i  9 
of  the  twelve  power  and  authority  over  all  demons,  as  well 

Apostles,     as  to  cure  diseases.    He  sent  .them  out  as  his  Mes-     2 
sengers,  to  proclaim  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  to  work  cures. 

"Do   not,"  he   said    to    them,    "take   anything   for  your    3 
journey  ;  not  even  a  staff,  or  a  bag,  or  bread,  or  any  silver,  or 
a  change  of  clothes  with  you.     Whatever  house  you  go  to  stay    4 
in,  remain  there,  and  leave  from  that  place.     If  people  do  not     5 
welcome  you,  as  you  leave  that  town,  shake  even  the  dust  off 
your  feet,  as  a  protest  against  them." 

Then  they  set  out  and  went  from  village  to  village,  telling  the     6 
Good  News  and  curing  people  everywhere. 

Prince  Herod  heard  of  all  that  was  happen-    7 
and          ing,  and  was  perplexed,  because  it  was  said  by 
the  Baptist,  some  that  John  must  be  risen  from  the  dead. 
Some  again  said  that  Elijah  had  appeared,  and  others  that    8 
one  of  the  old  Prophets  had  risen  again.      But  Herod  himself    9 
said  : 

"John  I  beheaded  ;  but  who  is  this  of  whom  I  hear  such 
things  ?  " 
And  he  endeavoured  to  see  him. 

The  When    the    Apostles    returned,    they    related     10 

Return  of  the  to   Jesus  all  that  they  had   done.  Then 

Apostles.     Jesus  retired  privately  to  a  town  called  Bethsaida, 
taking  the  Apostles  with  him.     But  the  people  recognized  him     1 1 
and  followed  him  in  crowds  ;  and  Jesus  welcomed  them  and 
spoke  to  them  about  the  Kingdom  of  God,  while  he  cured 
those  who  were  in  need  of  help.  The  day  was  draw-     12 

ing  to  a  close,  when  the  Twelve  came  up  to  him, 

Jesus  feeds  j         •  j  . 

flve  thousand  and  said  . 
by  the  Lake          Send  the  crowd  away,  so  that  they  may  make 

of  Galilee,  their  way  to  the  villages  and  farms  round  about, 
and  find  themselves  lodgings  and  provisions,  for  we  are  in  a 
lonely  spot  here." 

But  Jesus  said  :  "  It  is  for  you  to  give  them  something  to     13 
eat." 

"We  have  not  more  than  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,"  they 
answered  ;  "unless  indeed  we  are  to  go  and  buy  food  for  all 
these  people." 
(For  the  men  among  them  were  about  five  thousand.)  14 

"Get  them  seated  in  companies,"  was  his  reply,  "about 
fifty  in  each." 

This    they    did,    and    got  all    the    people    seated.      Taking     15,  i 
the   five    loaves    and    the    two    fishes,    Jesus    looked    up    to 
Heaven   and  said   the  blessing  over  them.     Then  he  broke 
them    in    pieces,    and    gave    them    to    his    disciples  to  set 
before   the   people.      Every  one    had   sufficient   to  eat,    and     17 
what  was  left  of  the  broken  pieces  was  picked  up — twelve 
baskets. 


126  LUKE,  9. 

Peter's  Afterwards,  when  Jesus   was  alone,  praying, 

Confession    his  disciples  joined  him,  and  he  asked  them  this 
of          question — 

"  Who  do  the  people  say  that  I  am  ?  " 

"John  the  Baptist,"  was  their  answer;  "others,  however, 
say  that  you  are  Elijah,  while  others  say  that  one  of  the  old 
Prophets  has  risen  again." 

"  But  you,"  he  went  on,  "  who  do  you  say  that  I  am  ?  " 
And  to  this  Peter  answered  : 

"The  Christ  of  God." 

Jesus,  however,  strictly  charged  them  not  to  say  this  to  any 

jesus        one  >  'ie  t°ld  them  that  the  Son  of  Man  must 

foretells  his  undergo  much  suffering,  and  be  rejected  by  the 

Death.       Councillors,   and    Chief    Priests,    and    Teachers 

of  the    Law,    and    be  put  to  death,  and  rise   on   the   third 

A  can        ^av-  ^nc*  to  a'l  Present  he  said  : 

to  renounce  "  If  any  man  wishes  to  walk  in  my  steps,  let 
8elf-  him  renounce  self,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and 
follow  me.  For  whoever  wishes  to  save  his  life  will  lose  it, 
and  whoever,  for  my  sake,  loses  his  life — that  man  shall  save 
it.  What  good  does  it  do  a  man  if,  when  he  has  gained  the 
whole  world,  he  has  lost  or  forfeited  himself?  Whoever  is 
ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  teaching,  the  Son  of  Man  will  be 
ashamed  of  him,  when  he  comes  in  his  Glory  and  the  Glory  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  holy  angels.  Indeed,  I  tell  you, 

some  who  are  standing  before  me  will  not  know  death,  till 
they  have  seen  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

The  About  eight  days  after  speaking  these  words, 

Transfigure-  Jesus  went  up  the  mountain  to  pray,  taking  with 

tson.  iiml  Peter,  John,  and  James.  As  he  was  pray- 
ing, the  aspect  of  his  face  was  changed,  and  his  clothing 
became  of  a  glittering  whiteness.  And  all  at  once  two  men 
were  talking-  with  Jesus  ;  they  were  Moses  and  Elijah,  who 
appeared  in  a  glorified  state,  and  spoke  of  his  departure, 
which  was  destined  to  take  place  at  Jerusalem.  Peter  and  his 
companions  had  been  overpowered  by  sleep  but,  suddenly 
becoming  wide  awake,  they  saw  Jesus  glorified  and  the  two 
men  who  were  standing  beside  him.  And,  as  Moses  and 
Elijah  were  passing  away  from  Jesus,  Peter  exclaimed  : 

"  Sir,  it  is  good  to  be  here  ;  let  us  make  three  tents,  one  for 
you,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah." 
He  did  not  know  what  he  was  saying  ;  and,  while  he  was 
speaking,  a  cloud  came  down  and  enveloped  them  ;  and  they 
were  afraid,  as  they  passed  into  the  cloud  ;  and  from  the  cloud 
came  a  voice  which  said — 

'•a  Hos.  6.  a.    3»  Ps.  a.  7  ;  Isa.  42.  i ;  Enoch  40.  5. 


LUKE,  9.  127 

"  This   is    my.   Son,    the    Chosen    One  ;     him    you    must 
hear.  " 

And,    as   the    voice   ceased,   Jesus    was    found    alone.      The     36 
Apostles  kept  silence,  and  told  no  one  about  any  of  the  things 
that  they  had  seen. 


cur    or  next  day,  when  they  had  come  down  from     37 

an  epileptic  the  mountain,  a  great  crowd  met  Jesus.     And     38 
B°y-         just  then  a  man  in  the  crowd  shouted  out  : 

"  Teacher,  I  entreat  you  to  look  at  my  son,  for  he  is  my  only 
child  ;  all  at  once  a  spirit  will  seize  him,  suddenly  shriek  out,     39 
and  throw  him  into  convulsions  till  he  foams,  and  will  leave 
him  only  when  he   is   utterly  exhausted.     I  entreated  your    40 
disciples  to  drive  the  spirit  out,  but  they  could  not." 

"O  faithless  and  perverse  generation  !"  Jesus  exclaimed  ;     41 
"  how  long  must  I  be  with  you  and  have  patience  with  you? 
Lead  your  son  here." 

While  the  boy  was  coming  up  to  Jesus,  the  demon  dashed  him     42 
down  and  threw  him  into  convulsions.     But  Jesus  rebuked 
the  foul  spirit,  and  cured  the   boy,  and   gave   him  back  to 
his   father.     And  all   present  were   struck  with  awe  at   the     43 
majesty  of  God. 

In  the  midst  of  the  general  astonishment  at  all 
a  second  time  that  Jesus  was  doing,  he  said  to  his  disciples  : 
foretells      "Listen  carefully  to  my  words.      For  the  Son     44 

s  Death.    Q^  ]yjan  js  jestined  to  be  betrayed  into  the  hands 
of  his  fellow  men." 

But  the  disciples  did  not  understand   the  meaning  of  this  ;     45 
it   had    been    concealed    from    them    so  that    they    did    not 
see  it,  and  they  were  afraid  to  question  him  as  to  what  he 
meant. 

On  A  discussion    arose   among   the    disciples   as     46 

Humility,     to  which  of  them  was  the  greatest  ;    and  Jesus,     47 
knowing  of  the  discussion  that  was  occupying  their  thoughts, 
took  hold  of  a  little  child,  and  placed  it  beside  him,  and  then     48 
said  to  them  : 

"Any  one  who,  for  the  sake  of  my  Name,  welcomes  even 
this  little  child  is  welcoming  me  ;  and  any  one  who  welcomes 
me  is  welcoming  him  who  sent  me  as  his  Messenger.  For 
whoever  is  lowliest  among  you  all  —  that  man  is  great.  " 

On  Thereupon  John  said  :  49 

Toleration.  "  Sir,  we  saw  a  man  driving  out  demons  by 
using  your  name,  and  we  tried  to  prevent  him,  because  he 
does  not  follow  you  with  us." 

"None  of  you  must  prevent   him,"  Jesus  said    to  John;     50 
"  he  who  is  not  against  you  is  for  you." 

«  Deut.  32.  5. 


128  LUKE,  9-1O. 

IV. — THE  JOURNEY  TO  JERUSALEM. 

As  the  days  before  his  being  taken  up  to  Heaven  were     5 
growing  few,  Jesus  set  his  face  resolutely  in  the  direction  of 
Jerusalem  ;  and  he  sent  on  messengers  in  advance.  On     5: 

their  way,  they  went  into  a  Samaritan  village  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  him,  but  the  people  there  did  not  welcome  him,     5; 
because  his  face  was  set  in  the  direction  of  Jerusalem.     When     5. 
James  and  John  saw  this,  they  said  : 

"  Master,  do  you  wish  us  to  call  for  fire  to  come  down  from 
the  heavens  and  consume  them  ?  " 

But  Jesus  turned  and  rebuked  them.     And  they  made  their    5, 
way  to  another  village. 

Tests  of         And,  while  they  were  on  their  way,  a  man  said     5' 

Sincerity.       to  JeSUS  : 

"  I  will  follow  you  wherever  you  go." 

"  Foxes  have  holes,"  he  replied,  "  and  wild  birds  their  roost-     5! 
ing-places,  but  the  Son  of  Man  has  nowhere  to  lay  his  head." 
To  another  man  Jesus  said  :  ''Follow  me."  51 

"  Let  me  first  go  and  bury  my  father,"  said  the  man. 
But  Jesus  said  :  6< 

"  Leave  the  dead  to  bury  their  dead  ;  but  go  yourself  and 
carry  far  and  wide  the  news  of  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

"  Master,"  said  another,  "  I  will  follow  you  ;  but  first  let  me     6: 
say  good-bye  to  my  family." 
But  Jesus  answered  :  6: 

"  No  one  who  looks  back,  after  putting  his  hand  to  the 
plough,  is  fitted  for  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

After  this,  the  Master  appointed  seventy-two     i 

•  lie  Mission          t  «•       •     «  «  • 

or  the        other     disciples,    and    sent    them    on    as     his 
seventy.      Messengers,  two  and  two,  in  advance,  to  every 
town  and  place  that  he  was  himself  intending  to  visit. 

"The  harvest,"  he  said,  "  is  abundant,  but  the  labourers  are     2 
few.      Therefore  pray  to  the  Owner  of  the  harvest  to  send 
labourers  to  gather  in  his  harvest.      Now,  go.      Remember,  I     3 
am  sending  you  out  as  my  Messengers  like  lambs  among 
wolves.     Do  not  take  a  purse  with  you,  or  a  bag,  or  sandals;     4 
and  do  not  stop  to  greet  any  one  on  your  journey.     Whatever    5 
house  you  go  to  stay  at,   begin  by  praying  for  a    blessing 
on  it.     Then,   if  any  one  there  is  deserving  of  a  blessing,     6 
your  blessing  will  rest  upon  him;   but  if  not,  it  will  come 
back    upon   yourselves.      Remain  at  that   same  house,  and     7 
eat  and  drink  whatever  they  offer  you  ;  for  the  worker  is  worth 
his  wages.     Do  not  keep  changing  from  one  house  to  another. 
Whatever  town  you  visit,  if  the  people  welcome  you,  eat    8 
what  is  set  before  you;  cure  the  sick  there,  and  tell  people    9 

Ma  Kings  i.  10, 


LUKE,  1C.  129 

'  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  close  at  hand.'     But,  whatever  town     10 
you   go  to  visit,  if  the  people  do  not  welcfime  you,  go  out 
into  its  streets  and  say  '  We  wipe  off  the  very  dust  of  your     1  1 
town  which  has  clung  to  our  feet  ;  still,  be  assured  that  the 
Kingdom    of   God    is   close   at   hand.'    I    tell    you    that   the     12 
doom  of  Sodom  will  be  more  bearable  on  '  That  Day  '  than 
the  doom  of  that  town.  Alas  for  you,  Chorazin  !  Alas     13 

The  Doom  of  ^or  vou>  Bethsaida  !     For,  if  the  miracles  which 
the  Towns  of  have  been  done  in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre 
Gaiiiee.      ancj    Sidon,   they  would  have   sat   in   sackcloth 
and  ashes  and  repented  long  ago.     Yet  the  doom  of  Tyre     14 
and    Sidon  will   be  more   bearable   at  the  Judgement  than 
yours.  And  you,  Capernaum  !   Will  you  '  exalt  your-     15 

self  to   Heaven  '  ?      '  You    shall   go  down    to    the    Place   of 
Death.'  He  who  listens  to  you  is  listening   to  me,     16 

and  he  who  rejects  you  is  rejecting  me  ;  while  he  who  rejects 
me  is  rejecting  him  who  sent  me  as  his  Messenger." 

When  the  seventy-two  returned,  they  exclaimed     17 
The  Return  of  j0fuiiy  .    "Master,  even  the  demons  submit  to 

J    J          J 


the  Seventy.  ,  UAJT  i-jo 

us  when  we  use  your  name.       And  Jesus  replied  :     10 
"  I  have  had  visions  of  Satan,  fallen,  like  lightning  from  the 
heavens.     Remember,  I  have  given  you  the  power  to  '  trample     19 
upon  serpents  and  scorpions,'  and  to  meet  all  the  strength  of 
the  Enemy.     Nothing  shall  ever  harm  you  in  any  way.     Yet     20 
do  not  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  the  spirits  submit  to  you,  but 
rejoice  that  your  names  have  been  enrolled  in  Heaven." 
The  chiid-Mke      At  that  same  time,  moved  to  exultation  by  the     21 
Mind.    .    Holy  Spirit,  Jesus  said  : 

"  I  thank  thee,  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and 
earth,  that,  though  thou  hast  hidden  these 
things  from  the  wise  and  learned,  thou  hast 
revealed  them  to  the  childlike  !  Yes,  Father, 
I  thank  thee  that  this  has  seemed  good  to 
thee. 

Everything  has  been  committed  to  me  by  my  Father  ;  nor     22 
does  any  one  know  who  the  Son  is,  except  the  Father,  or 
who  the  Father  is,  except  the  Son  and  those  to  whom  the 
Son  may  choose  to  reveal  him." 

Then,  turning  to  his  disciples,  Jesus  said  to  them  alone  :  23 

'  '  Blessed  are  the  eyes  that  see  what  you  are  seeing  ;  for,  I  tell     24 
you,  many  Prophets  and  Kings  wished  for  the  sight  of  the 
things  which  you  are  seeing,  yet  never  saw  them,  and  to  hear 
the  things  which  you  are  hearing,  yet  never  heard  them." 

Just  then  a  Student  of  the  Law  came  forward     25 

i  ne  ui*O£tT  T  *•        i 

command-    to  test  Jesus  further- 

ment.  "  Teacher,"  he  said,  "what  must  I  do  if  I  am 

to  '  gain  Immortal  Life'  ?  " 

12  Isa.  2.  ii.     **  Isa.  14.  13,  15.     19  Ps.  91.  13.    2°  Enoch  40.  9. 

F 


130  LUKE,  10. 

"  What  is  said  in  the  Law  ?  "  answered  Jesus.     "  What  do     26 
you  read  there  ?  " 
His  reply  was —  27 

"  '  Thou  shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  'all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy 
mind  ;  and  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  thyself.'  " 

"  You  have  answered  right,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  do  that,  and  you     28 
shall  live." 

But  the  man,  wanting-  to  justify  himself,  said  to  Jesus  :  "  And     29 
who  is  my  neighbour  ?  "     To  which  Jesus  replied  :  30 

The  Good          "  A  man  was  once  going  down  from  Jerusalem 
Samaritan,    to  Jericho  when  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  robbers, 
who  stripped  him  of  everything,  and  beat  him,  and  went  away 
leaving  him  half  dead.    As  it  chanced,  a  priest  was  going  down     31 
by  that  road.     He  saw  the  man,  but  passed  by  on  the  opposite 
side.     A  Levite,  too,  did  the  same  ;  he  came  up  to  the  spot,     32 
but,  when  he  saw  the  man,  passed  by  on  the  opposite  side. 
But  a  Samaritan,  travelling  that  way, came  upon  the  man,  and,     33 
when  he  saw  him,  he  was  moved  with  compassion.     He  went     34 
to  him  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  dressing  them  with  oil  and 
wine,  and  then  put  him  on  his  own  mule,  and  brought  him  to 
an  inn,  and  took  care  of  him.     The  next  day  he  took  out     35 
four  shillings   and   gave   them    to   the   inn-keeper.       'Take 
care  of  him,'  he  said,  'and  whatever  more  you  may  spend 
I  will   myself  repay  you   on  my  way   back.'      Now  which,     36 
do  you  think,  of  these  three  men,"  asked  Jesus,   "proved 
himself  a  neighbour  to  the  man  who  fell  into  the  robbers' 
hands?" 

"The  one  that  took  pity  on  him,"  was  the  answer  ;  on  which     37 
Jesus  said  : 

"Go  and  do  the  same  yourself." 

The  As  they  continued  their  journey,  Jesus  came     38 

sisters  of     to  a   village,   where   a   woman    named    Martha 

Bethany,     welcomed  him  to  her  house.     She  had  a  sister     39 
called  Mary,  who  seated   herself  at  the   Master's  feet,   and* 
listened  to  his  teaching  ;  but  Martha  was  distracted  by  the     40 
many  preparations  that  she  was  making.     So  she  went  up  to 
Jesus  and  said  : 

"  Master,  do  you  approve  of  my  sister's  leaving  me  to  make 
preparations  alone  ?     Tell  her  to  help  me." 

"Martha,  Martha,"  replied  the  Master,  "you  are  anxious  and     41 
trouble   yourself   about    many  things ;    but   only  a   few  are     42 
necessary,  or  rather  one.     Mary  has  chosen  the  good  part, 
and  it  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

«  Deut.  6.  5  ;  Lev.  19.  18.    '•»  Lev.  18.  5. 


LUKE,  n.  isi 

The « Lord's       One  day  Jesus  was  at  a  certain  place  praying,     i    \ 

Prayer.'      and,  when  he  had  finished,  one  of  his  disciples 
said  to  him  : 

"  Master,  teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  taught  his  disciples." 

"  When  you  pray,"  Jesus  answered,  "  say —  2 

'  Father,  May  thy  name  be  held  holy,  thy 
Kingdom  come.     Give  us  each  day  the  bread  3 

that  we  shall  need  ;  And  forgive  us  our  sins,  4 

for  we  ourselves  forgive  every  one  who  wrongs 
us  ;  And  take  us  not  into  temptation.'" 

Persistence         Je*US  als°  Said  tO  then}  :  5 

in  Suppose  that  one  of  you  who  has  a   friend 

Prayer.      were  to  go  to  him  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and 
say  '  Friend,  lend  me  three  loaves,  for  a  friend  of  mine  has     6 
arrived  at  my  house  after  a  journey,  and  I  have  nothing  to 
offer  him ' ;   and  suppose  that  the  other  should  answer  from     7 
inside  '  Do  not  trouble  me ;  the  door  is  already  fastened,  and  my 
children  and  I  are  in  bed  ;    I  cannot  get  up  and  give  you 
anything' ;  I  tell  you  that,  even  though  he  will  not  get  up  and     8 
give  him   anything   because   he   is   a   friend,  yet  because  of 
his  persistence  he  will  rouse  himself  and  give  him  what  he 
wants.  And  so  I  say  to  you — Ask,  and  your  prayer    9 

Encourage-   snall  be  granted  :    search,  and  you  shall  find  ; 
ment        knock,  and  the  door  shall   be   opened   to  you. 

to  Prayer.     por    he    that    asks    receives,    he    that   searches     10 
finds,  and  to  him  that  knocks  the  door  shall  be  opened.    What     u 
father  among  you,  if  his  son  asks  him  for  a  fish,  will  give 
him  a  snake  instead,  or,  if  he  asks  for  an  egg,  will  give  him     12 
a  scorpion  ?      If  you,    then,    naturally    wicked    though   you     13 
are,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how  much 
more  will  the  Father  in  Heaven  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  those 
that  ask  him  ! " 

euro  of  a.         Once  Jesus  was  driving  out  a  dumb  demon,     14 
dumb  Man.  and,  when  the  demon  had  gone  out,  the  dumb 
man  spoke.  The  people  were  amazed  at  this  ;  but  some     15 

of  them  said :  ' '  He  drives  out  demons  by  the  help  of  Baal-zebub, 
Jesus  accused  ^e  cn'ef  °^  the  demons  "  ;  while  others,  to  test     16 
°^>f8Act?nee    him,  asked  him  for  some  sign  from  the  heavens. 
by  the  Help    Jesus  himself,  however,  was  aware  of  what  they     17 
of  Satan.      were  thinking,  and  said  to  them  : 
"Any  kingdom   wholly  divided   against  itself  becomes  a 
desolation  ;   and  a  divided  house  falls.     So,  too,  if  Satan  is     18 
wholly  divided  against  himself,  how  can  his  kingdom  last  ? 
Yet  you  say  that  I  drive  out  demons   by  the  help  of  B#al- 
zebub.      But,  if  it   is  by  Baal-zebub's  help  that    I   drive   out     19 
demons,  by  whose  help  is  it  that  your  own  sons  drive  them 
out?    Therefore  they  shall  themselves  be  your  judges.     But,  if    20 
it  is  by  the  hand  of  God  that  I  drive  out  demons,  then  the 


182  LUKE,  H. 

Kingdom  of  God  must  already  be  upon  you.     When  a  strong     21 
man  is  keeping  guard,  fully  armed,  over  his  own  mansion,  his 
property  is  in  safety  ;  but,  when  one  still  stronger  has  attacked     22 
and  overpowered  him,  he  takes  away  all  the  weapons  on  which 
the  other  had  relied,  and  divides  his  spoil.     He  who  is  not     23 
with  me  is  against  me,  and  he  who  does  not  help  me  to 

o.-xn  er  of    gather  is  scattering.  No  sooner  does  a     24 

imperfect     foul  spirit  leave  a  man,  than  it  passes  through 
Reformation,  places  where  there  is  no  water,  in  search  of  rest ; 
and  finding  none,  it  says  '  I  will  go  back  to  the  home  which  I 
left ' ;    but,  on  coming  there,   it  finds  it  unoccupied,  swept,     25 
and  put  in  order.     Then  it  goes  and  brings  with  it  seven     26 
other  spirits  more  wicked  than  itself,   and  they  go  in,   and 
make  their  home  there  ;  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  proves 
to  be  worse  than  the  first." 

As  Jesus  was  saying  this,  a  woman  in  the  crowd,  raising  her     27 
/  voice,  exclaimed  : 

"  Happy  was  the  mother  who  bore  you  and  nursed  you  ! " 
But  Jesus  replied  :  28 

"  Rather,  happy  are  those  who  listen  to  God's  Message  and 
keep  it." 

wamin  ^s    tne    crowds    increased,   Jesus    began    to     29 

agaTnst       speak : 

seeking  siens.      "  This  generation  is  a  wicked  generation.     It 
is  asking  a  sign,  but  no  sign  shall  be  given  it  except  the  sign 
of  Jonah.     For,   as  Jonah  became  a   sign  to  the  people  of    30 
Nineveh,  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  to  this  generation.     At     31 
the  Judgement  the  Queen  of  the  South  will  rise  up  with  the 
men  of  this  generation,  and  will  condemn  them,  because  she 
came  from  the  very  ends  of  the  earth  to  listen  to  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon  ;  and  here  is  more  than  a  Solomon  !     At  the  Judge-     32 
ment  the  men  of  Nineveh  will  stand  up  with  this  generation, 
and  will  condemn  it,  because  they  repented  at  Jonah's  proclama- 
tion ;   and  here  is  more  than  a  Jonah  !  No  one  sets     33 

Lesson       light  to  a  lamp,  and  then  puts  it  in  the  cellar  or 
from  a  Lamp,  under  the  corn-measure,  but  he   puts  it  on  the 
lamp-stand,    so   that  any  one   who   comes   in   may  see   the 
Light  and     h'ght.  The  lamp  of  the  body  is  your  eye.     34 

Darkness.     When  your  eye  is  unclouded,  your  whole  body, 
also,  is  lit  up  ;  but,  as  soon  as  your  eye  is  diseased,  your  body, 
also,  is  darkened.     Take  care,  therefore,  that  the  inner  Light     35 
is  not  darkness.      If,  then,  your  whole  body  is  lit  up,  and  no     36 
corner  of  it  darkened,  the  whole  will  be  lit  up,  just  as  when  a 
lamp,  gives  you  light  by  its  brilliance." 

As  Jesus  finished  speaking,  a  Pharisee  asked     37 
him  to  breakfast  with  him,  and  Jesus  went  in  and 
the  Pharisees,  took  his  place  at  table.     The  Pharisee  noticed,  to     38 


LUKE,  11-12.  133 

his  astonishment,  that  Jesus  omitted  the  ceremonial  washing 
before  breakfast.     But  the  Master  said  to  him  :  39 

"You  Pharisees  do,  it  is  true,  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup 
and  of  the  plate,  but   inside  you  yourselves  are   filled  with 
greed  and  wickedness.     Fools  !  did  not  the  maker  of  the  out-     40 
side  make  the  inside  too  ?     Only  give  away  what  is  in  them  in     41 
charity,  and  at  once  you  have  the  whole  clean.     But  alas  for    42 
you  Pharisees  !     You  pay  tithes  on  mint,  rue,  and  herbs  of  all 
kinds,  and  pass  over  justice  and  love  to  God.     These  last  you 
ought  to  have  put  into  practice  without  neglecting  the  first. 
Alas  for  you  Pharisees  !     You  delight  to  have  the  front  seat  in     43 
the  Synagogues,  and  to  be  greeted  in  the  markets  with  respect. 
Alas  for  you  !     You  are  like  unsuspected  graves,  over  which     44 
men  walk  unawares." 
Here  one  of  the  Students  of  the  Law  interrupted  him  by  saying  :     45 

"  Teacher,  when  you  say  this,  you  are  insulting  us  also." 
But  Jesus  went  on  :  46 

"Alas  for  you,  too,  you  Students  of  the  Law!     You  load 
men  with  loads  that  are  too  heavy  to  carry,  but  do  not,  your- 
selves, touch  them  with  one  of  your  fingers.     Alas  for  you  !     47 
You    build    the    monuments    of    the    Prophets    whom    your 
ancestors  killed.    You  are  actually  witnesses  to  your  ancestors'    48 
acts  and  show  your  approval  of  them,   because,  while  they 
killed  the  Prophets,  you  build  tombs  for  them.     That  is  why     49 
the  Wisdom  of  God  said — "  I  will  send  to  them  Prophets  and 
Apostles,  some  of  whom  they  will  persecute  and  kill,  in  order     50 
that  the  '  blood  '  of  all  the  prophets  '  that  has  been  spilt '  since 
the  creation  of  the  world  may  be  exacted  from  this  generation — 
from  the  blood  of  Abel  down  to  the  blood  of  Zechariah,  who     51 
was  slain  between  the  altar  and  the  House  of  God."  Yes,  I  tell 
you,  it  will  be  exacted  from  this  generation.     Alas  for  you     52 
Students  of  the  Law  !     You  have  taken  away  the  key  of  the 
door  of  Knowledge.    You  have  not  gone  in  yourselves  and  you 
have  hindered  those  who  try  to  go  in." 

A  Plot  When  Jesus  left  the  house,  the  Teachers  of  the     53 

against  jesus.  Law  and  the  Pharisees  began  to  press  him  hard 
and  question  him  closely  upon  many  subjects,  laying  traps  for     54 
him,  so  as  to  seize  upon  anything  that  he  might  say. 


Warnings 
and 


Meanwhile  the  people  had  gathered  in  thou- 
_  _          sands,  so  that  they  trod  upon  one  another,  when 
Encourage-  Jesus,  addressing  himself  to  his  disciples,  began 
ments.       j^y  sayingr  to  them  : 

"Be  on  your  guard  against  the  leaven — that  is,  the  hypo- 
crisy— of  the  Pharisees.  There  is  nothing,  however 
covered  up,  which  will  not  be  uncovered,  nor  anything  kept 
secret  which  will  not  become  known.  Hence  all  that  you  have 
said  in  the  dark  will  be  heard  in  the  light,  and  what  you  have 

60  Enoch  9.  i. 


134  LUKE,  12. 

spoken  in  the  ear,  within  closed  doors,  will  be  proclaimed 
upon  the  housetops.  To  you  who  are  my  friends  I 

say,  Do  not  be  afraid  of  those  who  kill  the  body,  but  after  that 
can  do  no  more.  I  will  show  you  of  whom  you  should  be 
afraid.  Be  afraid  of  him  who,  after  killing  you,  has  the  power 
to  fling  you  into  the  Pit.  Yes,  I  say,  be  afraid  of  him.  Are 
not  five  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny  ?  Yet  not  one  of  them  has 
escaped  God's  notice.  No,  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all 
numbered.  Do  not  be  afraid ;  you  are  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrows.  Every  one,  I  tell  you,  who  shall  acknow- 

ledge me  before  his  fellow  men,  the  Son  of  Man,  also,  will 
acknowledge  before  God's  angels ;  but  he,  who  disowns  me 
before  his  fellow  men,  will  be  altogether  disowned  before  God's 
angels.  Every  one  who  shall  say  anything  against  the 

Son  of  Man  will  be  forgiven,  but  for  him  who  slanders  the  Holy 
Spirit  there  will  be  no  forgiveness.  Whenever  they 

take  you  before  the  Synagogue  Courts  or  the  magistrates  or 
other  authorities,  do  not  be  anxious  as  to  how  you  will  defend 
yourselves,  or  what  your  defence  will  be,  or  what  you  will  say  ; 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  will  show  you  at  the  moment  what  you 
ought  to  say." 

instances         "  Teacher,"  a  man  in  the  crowd  said  to  Jesus, 
or          "  tell  my  brother  to  share  the  property  with  me." 
covetousness.     3ut  Jesus  said  to  him  : 

"  Man,   who    made    me   a  judge   or  an   arbiter  between 
you  ?  " 
And  then  he  added  : 

"Take  care  to  keep  yourselves  free  from  every  form  of 
covetousness  ;  for  even  in  the  height  of  his  prosperity  a  man's 
true  Life  does  not  depend  on  what  he  has." 
Then  Jesus  told  them  this  parable — 

"  There  was  once  a  rich  man  whose  land  was  very  fertile  ; 
and  he  began  to  ask  himself  '  What  shall  I  do,  for  I  have 
nowhere  to  store  my  crops  ?  This  is  what  I  will  do,'  he  said  ; 
'  I  will  pull  down  my  barns  and  build  larger  ones,  and  store 
all  my  grain  and  my  goods  in  them  ;  and  I  will  say  to  myself, 
Now  you  have  plenty  of  good  things  put  by  for  many  years  ; 
take  your  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  enjoy  yourself.'  But  God 
said  to  the  man  '  Fool !  This  very  night  your  life  is  being 
demanded  ;  and  as  for  all  that  you  have  prepared — who  will 
have  it  ? ' 

So  it  is  with  those  who  lay  by  wealth  for  themselves  and  are 
not  rich  to  the  glory  of  God." 
Tho  c«r««        And  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples  : 

of  ur*.  "That  is  why  I  say  to  you,  Do  not  be  anxious 
about  the  life  here — what  you  can  get  to  eat ;  nor  yet  about 
your  body — what  you  can  get  to  wear.  For  life  is  more  than 
food,  and  the  body  than  its  clothes.  Think  of  the  ravens — 
they  neither  sow  nor  reap ;  they  have  neither  storehouse  nor 


LUKE,  12.  135 

barn  ;  and  yet  God  feeds  them  !     And  how  much  more  precious 
are  you  than  birds  !     But  which  of  you,  by  being  anxious,     25 
can  prolong  his  life  a  moment  ?      And,  if  you  cannot  do  even     26 
the  smallest  thing,  why  be  anxious  about  other  things  ?     Think     27 
of  the  lilies,  and  how  they  grow.      They  neither  toil  nor  spin  ; 
yet,  I  tell  you,  even  Solomon  in  all  his  splendour  was  nc<:  robed 
like  one  of  these.     If,  even  in  the  field,  God  so  clothes  the  grass     28 
which  is  living  to-day  and  to-morrow  will  be  thrown  into  the 
oven,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you,  O  men  of  little  faith  ! 
And  you — do  not  be  always  seeking  what  you  can  get  to  eat     29 
or  what  you  can  get  to  drink ;  and  do  not  waver.    These  are  the     30 
things  for  which  all  the  nations  of  the  world  are  seeking,  and 
your  Father  knows  that  you  need  them.   No,  seek  his  Kingdom,     31 
and  these  things  shall  be  added  for  you.     So  do  not  be  afraid,     32 
my  little  flock,  for  your  Father  has  been  pleased  to  give  you 
the  Kingdom.  Sell  what  belongs  to  you,  and  give  in     33 

The  true     charity.     Make  yourselves  purses  that  will  not 
Treasure,     wear  out — an  inexhaustible  treasure  in  Heaven, 
where  no  thief'comes  near,  or  moth  works  ruin.    For  where  your     34 
treasure  is,  there  also  will  your  heart  be.  Make  your-     35 

selves  ready,  with  your  lamps  alight ;  and  be  like     36 
watchfulness.  men  wjlo  are  waiting  for  their  Master's  return  from 
his  wedding,  so  that,  when  he  comes  and  knocks,  they  may 
open  the  door  for  him  at  once.    Happy  are  those  servants  whom,     37 
on  his  return,  the  Master  will  find  watching.     I  tell  you  that 
he  will  make  himself  ready,  and  bid  them  take  their  places  at 
table,  and  will  come  and  wait  upon  them.     Whether  it  is  late     38 
at  night,  or  in  the  early  morning  that  he  comes,  if  he  finds 
all  as  it  should  be,  then  happy  are  they.     This  you  do  know,     39 
that,  had  the  owner  of  the  house  known  at  what  time  the 
thief  was  coming,  he  would  have  been  on  the  watch,  and  would 
not  have  let  his  house  be  broken  into.     Do  you  also  prepare,     40 
for  when  you  are  least  expecting  him  the  Son  of  Man  will 
come." 

Parable  of  the      "Master,"  said   Peter,    "are  you  telling  this     41 
eood  and  bad  parable  with  reference  to  us  or  to  every  one  ?  " 

servants.         "  Who,   then,"  replied   the   Master,    "is   that     42 
trustworthy  steward,   the  careful  man,  who  will  be  placed 
by  his  master  over  his  establishment,  to  give  them  their  rations 
at  the  proper  time  ?     Happy  will  that  servant  be  whom  his     43 
master,  when  he  comes  home,  shall    find  doing   this.     His     44 
master,  I  tell  you,  will  put  him  in  charge  of  the  whole  of 
his  property.     But  should  that  servant  say  to  himself  '  My    45 
master  is  a  long  time  coming,'  and  begin  to  beat  the  men- 
servants  and  the  maidservants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  and  get 
drunk,    that    servant's    master    will    come    on    a    day  when     46 
he  does  not  expect  him,  and  at  an  hour  of  which  he  is  un- 
aware, and  will  flog  him  severely  and  assign  him  his  place 
among   the   untrustworthy.      The   servant  who    knows   his    47 


136  LUKE,  12-18. 

master's  wishes  and  yet  does  not  prepare  and  act  accordingly 
will  receive  many  lashes  ;  while  one  who  does  not  know  his  48 
master's  wishes,  but  acts  so  as  to  deserve  a  flogging,  will 
receive  but  few.  From  every  one  to  whom  much  has  been 
given  much  will  be  expected,  and  from  the  man  to  whom  much 
has  been  entrusted  the  more  will  be  demanded.  I  came  49 

The  cost     to  cast  ^re  uPon  the  eai"th  ;  and  what  more  can 
o*  Christ's    I    wish,    if  it  is  already  kindled  ?      There  is  a     50 

service,      baptism  that  I  must  undergo,  and  how  great  is 
my  distress  until  it  is  over !     Do  you  think  that  I  am  here  to     51 
give  peace  on  earth  ?     No,  I  tell  you,  but  to  cause  division. 
For  from  this  time,  if  there  are  five  people  in  a  house,  they    52 
will  be  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two  against  three. 

'  Father  will  be  opposed  to  son  and  son  to  father,  mother  tq          53 
daughter  and   daughter   to    mother,    mother-in-law    to    her 
daughter-in-law  and  daughter-in-law  to  her  mother-in-law.'  " 

signs  of          And  to  the  people  Jesus  said  :  54 

the  Times.        "  When  you  see  a  cloud  rising  in  the  west,  you 
say  at  once  '  There  is  a  storm  coming,'  and  come  it  does.     And     55 
when  you  see  that  the  wind  is  in  the  south,  you  say  '  It  will  be 
burning  hot, 'and  so  it  proves.    Hypocrites!   You  know  how  to     56 
judge  of  the  earth  and  the  sky;  how  is  it,  then,  that  you  cannot 
judge  of  this  time  ?  Why  do  not  you  yourselves  decide     57 

The          what  is  right  ?    When,  for  instance,  you  are  going     58 
Settlement    with  your  opponent  before  a  magistrate,  on  your 
or  Disputes.  wav  to  the  court  do  your  best  to  be  quit  of  him  ; 
for  fear  that  he  should  drag  you  before  the  judge,  when  the 
judge  will  hand  you  over  to  the  bailiff  of  the  court,  and  the 
bailiff  throw  you  into  prison.     You  will  not,  I  tell  you,  come     59 
out  until  you  have  paid  the  very  last  farthing." 

The  Just  at  that  time  some  people  had  come  to  tell     i 

Meaning  of  Jesus  about  the  Galilaeans,  whose  blood  Pilate 
calamities.    iiacj  mingled  with  the  blood  of  their  sacrifices. 
"Do   you   suppose,"  replied  Jesus,   "that,   because  these     2 
Galilaeans  have  suffered  in  this  way,  they  were  worse  sinners 
than  any  other  Galilaeans  ?     No,  I  tell  you  ;  but,  unless  you     3 
repent,  you  will  all  perish  as  they  did.     Or  those  eighteen     4 
men  at  Siloam  on  whom  the  tower  fell,  killing  them  all,  do 
you  suppose  that  they  were  worse  offenders  than  any  other 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  ?     No,   I   tell  you  ;  but,  unless  you     5 
repent,  you  will  all  perish  in  the  same  manner." 
And  Jesus  told  them  this  parable —  6 

Th  "A  man,   who  had  a  fig  tree  growing  in  his 

barren       vineyard,    came    to    look    for    fruit  on    it,   but 
r\f  Tree,      could  not  find  any.     So  he  said  to  his  gardener    7 
'  Three  years  now  I  have  come  to  look  for  fruit  on  this  fig  tree, 

B»  Mic.  7.  6. 


LUKE,  13.  137 

without  finding  any !     Cut  it  down.     Why  should  it  rob  the 
soil  ? ' 

'Leave  it  this  one  year  more,  Sir,'  the  man  answered,  'till  8 
I  have  dug  round  it  and  manured  it.  Then,  if  it  bears  in  9 
future,  well  and  good  ;  but  if  not,  you  can  have  it  cut  down.' " 

A  woman         Jesus  was  teaching  on  a  Sabbath  in  one  of     10 
healed  on  the  the  Synagogues,  and  he  saw  before  him  a  woman     1 1 

sabbath,      who  for  eighteen  years  had  suffered  from  weak- 
ness, owing  to  her  having  an  evil  spirit  in  her.      She  was 
bent  double,  and  was  wholly  unable  to  raise  herself.      When     12 
Jesus  saw  her,  he  called  her  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  Woman,  you  are  released  from  your  weakness." 
He  placed  his  hands  on  her,   and  she  was  instantly  made     13 
straight,  and  began  to  praise  God.     But  the  President  of  the     14 
Synagogue,  indignant  that  Jesus  had  worked  the  cure  on  the 
Sabbath,  interposed  and  said  to  the  people  : 

"  There  are  six  days  on  which  work  ought  to  be  done  ;  come 
to  be  cured  on  one  of  those,  and  not  on  the  Sabbath." 

"  You  hypocrites  !  "  the  Master  answered  him.     "  Does  not     15 
every  one  of  you  let  his  ox  or  his  ass  loose  from  its  manger, 
and  take  it  out  to  drink,  on  the  Sabbath  ?    But  this  woman,  a     16 
daughter  of  Abraham,  who  has  been  kept  in  bondage  by  Satan 
for  now  eighteen  years,  ought  not  she  to  have  been  released 
from  her  bondage  on  the  Sabbath  ?  " 

As  he  said  this,  his  opponents  all  felt  ashamed  ;  but  all  the     17 
people  rejoiced  to  see  all  the  wonderful  things  that  he  was 
doing. 

So  Jesus  said  :  18 

Parable  "What  is  the  Kingdom  of  God  like?  and  to 

or  the        what  can  I  liken  it?     It  is  like  a  mustard-seed     19 
Mustard  Seed.  which  a  man  took  and  put  in  his  garden.     The 
seed  grew  and  became  a  tree,  and  '  the  wild  birds  roosted  in 
its  branches.' " 

And  again  Jesus  said  : .  20 

Parable  "To  what  can  I  liken  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

of  the        It  is  like  some  yeast  which  a  woman  took  and     21 
Leaven.       covered  in  three  pecks  of  flour,  until  the  whole 
had  risen." 

The  narrow       Jesus  went  through  towns  and  villages,  teach-     22 

Door.        ing  as  he  went,  and  making  his  way  towards 
Jerusalem. 

"  Master,"  some  one  asked,  "are  there  but  few  in  the  path     23 
of  Salvation  ?  " 
And  Jesus  answered  : 

"  Strive  to  go  in  by  the  small  door.     Many,  I  tell  you,  will     24 
seek   to   go  in,   but   they   will   not   be   able   when  once   the     25 
19  Dan.  4.  12. 

F* 


138  LUKE,  13-14. 

master  of  the  house  has  got  up  and  shut  the  door,  while  you 
begin  to  say,  as  you  stand  outside  and  knock,  '  Sir,  open  the 
door  for  us.'  His  answer  will  be — '  I  do  not  know  where  you 
come  from.'  Then  you  will  begin  to  say  '  We  have  eaten  and 
drunk  in  your  presence,  and  you  have  taught  in  our  streets,' 
and  his  reply  will  be — '  I  do  not  know  where  you  come  from. 
Leave  my  presence,  all  you  who  are  living  in  wickedness.' 

There,  there  will  be  weeping  and  grinding  of  teeth,  when  you 
see  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  Prophets,  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  while  you  yourselves  are  being  driven  out- 
side. People  will  come  from  East  and  West,  and  from  North 
and  South,  and  take  their  places  at  the  banquet  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  There  are  some  who  are  last  now  who 
will  then  be  first,  and  some  who  are  first  now  who  will  then 
be  last ! " 

Just  then  some  Pharisees  came  up  to  Jesus  and 
to  said : 

Herod  Antipas.     "  Go  away  and   leave  this   place,  for  Herod 
wants  to  kill  you." 
But  Jesus  answered  : 

"  Go  and  say  to  that  fox  '  Look  you,  I  am  driving  out  demons 
and  shall  be  completing  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  on 
the  third  day  I  shall  have  done.'  But  to-day  and  to-morrow 
and  the  day  after  I  must  go  on  my  way,  because  it  cannot  be 
that  a  Prophet  should  meet  his  end  outside  Jerusalem. 
Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem  !  she  who  slays  the  Prophets  and  stones 
JOBUS  lament* ^ie  messengers  sent  to.  her — Oh,  how  often  have  I 
the  Fate  wished  to  gather  your  children  round  me,  as  a 
of  Jerusalem.  iien  takes  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  you 
would  not  come  !  Verily  your  House  is  left  to  you  desolate  ! 
and  never,  I  tell  you,  shall  you  see  me,  until  you  say — 

'  Blessed  is  He  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  " 


».  ^n  one  occasion,  as  Jesus  was  going,  on  a 
ai  Sabbath,  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  leading 
Man.  Pharisees  to  dine,  they  were  watching  him  closely. 
There  he  saw  before  him  a  man  who  was  suffering  from 
dropsy. 

"  Is  it  allowable,"  said  Jesus,  addressing  the  Students  of  the 
Law  and  the  Pharisees,  "to  work  a  cure  on  the  Sabbath,  or 
is  it  not  ?  " 

They   remained    silent.     Jesus   took   hold    of  the    man    and 
cured  him,  and  sent  him  away.     And  he  said  to  them  : 

"  Which  of  you,  finding  that  his  son  or  his  ox  has  fallen  into 
a  well,  will  not  immediately  pull  him  out  on  the  Sabbath 
Day?" 

V  Pi.  6.  8.    »  Mai.  i.  1 1.    M  Jer.  xa.  5 ;  Ps.  1 18.  a6. 


LUKE,  14.  139 

And  they  could  not  make  any  answer  to  that.  6 

Lessons  on        Observing  that  the  guests  were  choosing  the    7 
Humility  ana  best  places  for  themselves,  Jesus  told  them  this 
Hospitality,    parable— 

' '  When  you  are  invited  by  any  one  to  a  wedding  banquet,  do     8 
not  seat  yourself  in  the  best  place,  for  fear  that  some  one  of 
higher  rank  should  have  been  invited  by  your  host ;  and  he  who     9 
invited  you  both  will  come  and  say  to  you  '  Make  room  for  this 
man,'  and  then  you  will  begin  in  confusion  to  take  the  lowest 
place.     No,  when  you  are  invited,  go  and  take  the  lowest     10 
place,  so  that,  when  he  who  has  invited  you  comes,  he  may 
say  to  you  '  Friend,  come  higher  up ' ;  and  then  you  will  be 
honoured  in  the  eyes  of  all  your  fellow-guests.     For  every  one     n 
who  exalts  himself  will  be  humbled,  and  he  who  humbles 
himself  will  be  exalted." 

Then  Jesus  went  on  to  say  to  the  man  who  had  invited     12 
him  : 

"When  you  give  a  breakfast  or  a  dinner,  do  not  ask  your 
friends,  or  your  brothers,  or  your  relations,  or  rich  neighbours, 
for  fear  that  they  should  invite  you  in  return,  and  so  you  should 
be   repaid.     No,   when   you    entertain,    invite   the   poor,    the     13 
crippled,  the  lame,  the  blind  ;    and  then  you  will  be  happy     14 
indeed,  since  they  cannot  recompense  you  ;  for  you  shall  be 
recompensed  at  the  resurrection  of  the  good." 

Parable  of        ^ne  °^  t^ie  guests  heard  what  he  said  and  ex-     15 

the  gre«t     claimed  : 

Dinner.  <>  Happy  will  he  be  who  shall  eat  bread  in  the 

Kingdom  of  God  !  " 
But  Jesus  said  to  him  :  1 6 

"  A  man  was  once  giving  a  great  dinner.     He  invited  many 
people,  and  sent  his  servant,  when  it  was  time  for  the  dinner,  to     17 
say  to  those  who  had  been  invited  '  Come,  for  everything  is  now 
ready.'     They  all  with  one  accord  began  to  ask  to  be  excused.     18 
The  first  man  said  to  the  servant  '  I  have  bought  a  field  and 
am  obliged  to  go  and  look  at  it.      I  must  ask  you  to  consider 
me  excused.'      The  next  said   'I  have  bought  five  pairs  of     19 
bullocks,   and   I   am    on   my  way  to   try  them.    I   must   ask 
you  to  consider  me  excused' ;  while  the  next  said  '  I  am  just     20 
married,  and    for  that   reason    I  am   unable   to  come.'     On     21 
his   return   the   servant  told  his  master   all    these   answers. 
Then  in  anger  the  owner  of  the  house   said  to   his   servant 
'  Go  out  at  once  into  the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  town,  and 
bring  in  here  the  poor,  and  the  crippled,  and  the  blind,  and  the 
lame.'     Presently  the  servant  said     '  Sir,  your  order  has  been     22 
carried  out,  and  still  there  is  room.' 

'Go  out,'  the  master  said,  '  into  the  roads  and  hedgerows,     23 
and  make  people  come  in,  so  that  my  house  may  be  filled  ; 
for  I  tell  you  all  that  not  one  of  those  men  who  were  invited     24 
will  taste  my  dinner.'" 


140  LUKE,  14-15. 


The  cost  ay>  wnen   great  crowds  of  people  were     25 

of  walking  with  Jesus,  he  turned  and  said  to  them  : 

Seif-deniai.        «  jf  any  man  comes  to  me  and  does  not  hate  his     26 
father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brothers,  and 
sisters,  yes  and  his  very  life,  he  can  be  no  disciple  of  mine. 
Whoever  does   not   carry  his   own   cross,  and   walk   in   my     27 
steps,    can   be   no  disciple   of  mine.      Why,    which   of  you,     28 
when  he  wants  to  build  a  tower,  does  not  first  sit  down  and 
reckon  the  cost,  to  see  if  he  has  enough  to  complete  it  ?  —  for     29 
fear  that,  if  he  has  laid  the  foundation  and  is  not  able  to  finish 
it,  every  one  who  sees  it  should  begin  to  laugh  at  him,  and  say     30 
'  Here  is  a  man  who  began  to  build  and  was  not  able  to 
finish!'     Or  what   king,    when    he   is   setting   out  to   fight     31 
another  king,  does  not  first  sit  down  and  consider  if  with  ten 
thousand  men  he  is  able  to  meet  one  who  is  coming-  against 
him  with  twenty  thousand  ?     And  if  he  cannot,  then,  while     32 
the  other  is  still  at  a  distance,  he  sends  envoys  and  asks  for 
terms  of  peace.      And  so  with  every  one  of  you  who  does     33 

A  real       not  bid  farewell   to  all   he   has  —  he  cannot  be 
Disciple  of   a  disciple  of  mine.  Yes,   salt   is  good  ;     34 

Jesus.       but,  jf  the  salt  itself  should  lose  its  strength,  what 
shall  be  used  to  season  it  ?     It  is  not  fit  either  for  the  land  or    35 
for  the  manure  heap.     Men  throw  it  away.  Let  him 

who  has  ears  to  hear  with  hear  !  " 

The  tax-gatherers  and  the  outcasts  were  all  drawing  near  i 
to  Jesus  to  listen  to  him  ;  but  the  Pharisees  and  the  Teachers  2 
of  the  Law  found  fault. 

"This  man  always  welcomes  outcasts,  and   takes   meals 
with    them  !  "  they  complained.      So  Jesus  told   them   this     3 
parable  — 

Parable  "What  man  among  you  who  has  a  hundred     4 

of  the        sheep,  and  has  lost  one  of  them,  does  not  leave  the 

lost  sheep,    ninety-nine  out  in  the  open  country,  andgoafterthe 
lost  sheep  till  he  finds  it  ?    And,  when  he  has  found  it,  he  puts  it     5 
on  his  shoulders  rejoicing  ;  and,  on  reaching  home,  he  calls     6 
his  friends  and  his  neighbours  together,  and  says  '  Come  and 
rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have  found  my  sheep  which  was  lost.' 
So,  I  tell  you,  there  will  be  more  rejoicing  in  Heaven  over    7 
one   outcast    that   repents,  than   over    ninety-nine   religious 
men,  who  have  no  need  to  repent.  Or  again,  what    8 

Parable      woman  who  has  ten  silver  coins,   if  she   loses 
of  the        one  of  them,  does  not  light  a  lamp,  and  sweep 

tost  coin.     tne  nousC)  an(i  search  carefully  until  she  finds  it  ? 
And,  when  she  has  found  it,  she  calls  her  friends  and  neigh-     9 
bours  together,  and  says  '  Come  and  rejoice  with  me,  for  I 
have  found  the  coin  which  I  lost.'     So,   I   tell  you,  there  is     10 
rejorcing  in  the  presence  of  God's  angels  over  one  outcast 
that  repents." 


LUKE,  15.  141 

Then  Jesus  continued  :  n 

Parable          "  ^  man  had  two  sons;  and  the  younger  of    12 
of  the        them  said  to  his  father  '  Father,  give  me  my  share 
lost  son       of  the  inheritance. '     So  the  father  divided   the 
property  between  them.     A  few  days  later  the  younger  son  got     13 
together  all  that  he  had,  and  went  away  into  a  distant  land ;  and 
there  he  squandered  his  inheritance  by  leading  a  dissolute  life. 
After  he  had  spent  all  that  he  had,  there  was  a  severe  famine     14 
through  all  that  country,  and  he  began  to  be  in  actual  want. 
So  he  went  and  engaged  himself  to  one  of  the  people  of  that     15 
country,  who  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  tend  pigs.     He  even     16 
longed  to  satisfy  his  hunger  with  the  bean-pods  on  which  the 
pigs  were  feeding ;    and  no  one  gave  him  anything.     But,     17 
when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said  '  How  many  of  my  father's 
hired  servants  have  more  bread   than  they  can  eat,   while 
here  am  I  starving  to  death  !     I  will  get  up  and  go  to  my     18 
father,  and  say  to  him  "Father,   I  sinned  against  Heaven 
and  against  you ;    I  am  no  longer  fit  to  be  called  your  son  ;     19 
make  me  one  of  your  hired  servants.'"  And  he  got     20 

up  and  went  to  his  father.  But,  while  he  was  still  a  long  way 
off,  his  father  saw  him  and  was  deeply  moved  ;  he  ran  and 
threw  his  arms  round  his  neck  and  kissed  him.  '  Father,'  21 
the  son  said,  '  I  sinned  against  Heaven  and  against  you  ; 
I  am  no  longer  fit  to  be  called  your  son ;  make  me  one  of 
your  hired  servants.' 

But  the  father  turned  to  his  servants  and  said  '  Be  quick  and     22 
fetch  a  robe — the  very  best — and  put  it  on  him  ;    give  him 
a  ring  for  his  finger  and  sandals  for  his  feet ;  and  bring  the     23 
fattened  calf  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat  and  make  merry ;  for  here     24 
is  my  son  who  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again,  was  lost,  and  is 
found.'  So  they  began  making  merry.    Meanwhile  the     25 

elder  son  was  out  in  the  fields  ;  but,  on  coming  home,  when 
he  got  near  the  house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing,  and  he     26 
called   one   of  the   servants   and   asked   what   it  all   meant. 
'Your  brother  has  come  back,'  the  servant  told  him,  'and     27 
your  father  has  killed  the  fattened  calf,  because  he  has  him 
back  safe  and  sound.' 

This  made  him  angry,  and  he  would  not  go  in.     But  his  father     28 
came  out  and  begged  him  to  do  so.     'No,' he  said  to  his  father,     29 
*  look  at  all  the  years  I  have  been  serving  you,  without  ever 
once  disobeying  you,  and  yet  you  have  never  given  me  even  a 
kid,  so  that  I  might  have  a  merry-making  with  my  friends. 
But,  no  sooner  has  this  son  of  yours  come,  who  has  eaten  up     30 
your  property  in  the  company  of  prostitutes,  than  you  have 
killed  the  fattened  calf  for  him.' 

'Child,'  the  father  answered,   'you  are  always  with  me,     31 
and  everything  that  I  have  is  yours.    We  could  but  make  merry    32 
and  rejoice,  for  here  is  your  brother  who  was  dead,  and  is 
alive  ;  who  was  lost,  and  is  found. ' " 


142  LUKE,  16. 

Parable          Jesus  said  to  his  disciples :  I 

of  the  "There  was  a  rich  man  who  had  a  steward  ; 

dishonest    ancj  this  steward  was  maliciously  accused  to  him 

of  wasting  his  estate.      So  the  master  called  him     2 
and  said  '  What  is  this  that  I  hear  about  you  ?     Give  in  your 
accounts,  for  you  cannot  act  as  steward  any  longer.' 

'  What  am  I  to  do,'  the  steward  asked  himself,  '  now  that  my     3 
master  is  taking  the  steward's  place  away  from  me  ?     I  have 
not  strength  to  dig,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  beg.     I  know  what     4 
I  will  do,  so  that,  as  soon  as  I  am  turned  out  of  my  stewardship, 
people  may  welcome  me  into  their  homes.'     One  by  one  he     5 
called  up  his  master's  debtors.     '  How  much  do  you  owe  my 
master  ? '  he  asked  of  the  first.     '  Four  hundred   and  forty     6 
gallons  of  oil,'  answered  the  man.    '  Here  is  your  agreement,' 
he  said  ;    '  sit  down  at  once  and  make  it  two  hundred  and 
twenty.     And  you,'  the  steward  said  to  the  next,  'how  much     7 
do  you  owe  ? '     '  Seventy  quarters  of  wheat,'  he  replied.     '  Here 
is  your  agreement,' the  steward  said  ;  '  make  it  fifty-six.'     His     8 
master  complimented  this  dishonest  steward  on  the  shrewdness 
of  his  action.     And  indeed  men  of  the  world  are  shrewder 
in  dealing  with  their  fellow-men  than  those  who  have  the 
Light.  And  I  say  to  you  '  Win  friends  for  yourselves     9 

with  your  dishonest  money,'  so  that,  when  it  comes  to  an  end, 
there   may  be  a  welcome  for  you   into   the  Eternal   Home. 
He  who  is  trustworthy  in  the  smallest  matter  is  trustworthy     10 
in  a  great  one  also  ;  and  he  who  is  dishonest  in  the  smallest 
matter  is  dishonest  in  a  great  one  also.     So,  if  you  have  proved     n 
untrustworthy  with  the  'dishonest  money,'  who  will  trust  you 
with  the  true  ?     And,  if  you  have  proved  untrustworthy  with     12 

True         what  does  not  belong  to  us,  who  will  give  you 
Service.      what  is  really  our  own  ?  No  servant  can     13 

serve  two  masters,  for,  either  he  will  hate  one  and  love  the 
other,  or  else  he  will  attach  himself  to  one  and  despise  the 
other.  You  cannot  serve  both  God  and  Money." 

JeBu.  All    this    was    said    within     hearing    of    the     14 

rebukes  the  Pharisees,  who  were  lovers  of  money,  and  they 

Pharisee*,     began  to  sneer  at  Jesus. 

"You,"  said  Jesus,  "are  the  men  who  justify  themselves     15 
before  the  world,  but  God  can  read  your  hearts  ;  and  what  is 
highly  esteemed  among  men  may  be  an  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God.  The  Law  and  the  Prophets  sufficed  until     16 

the  time  of  John.  Since  then  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  has  been  told,  and  everybody  has  been  forcing  his  way 
into  it.  It  would  be  easier  for  the  heavens  and  the  17 

earth  to  disappear  than  for  one  stroke  of  a  letter  in  the  Law  to 
be  lost.  Every  one  who  divorces  his  wife  and  marries  18 

another  woman  is  an  adulterer,  and  the  man  who  marries  a 
divorced  woman  is  an  adulterer. 

8  Enoch  108.  ii.    "  Enoch  63.  10.    U  Enoch  63.  10. 


LUKE,  16-17.  143 

Parable  of       There  was  once  a  rich  man,  who  dressed  in     19 
the  rich  Man  purple  robes  and  fine  linen,  and  feasted  every  day 
and  Lazarus.  [n  grreat  splendour.     Near  his  gateway  there  had     20 
been  laid  a  beggar  named  Lazarus,  who  was  covered  with  sores, 
and  who  longed  to  satisfy  his  hunger  with  what  fell  from  the     21 
rich  man's  table.     Even  the  very  dogs  came  and  licked  his 
sores.     After  a  time  the  beggar  died,  and  was  taken  by  the     22 
angels  to  be  with  Abraham.     The  rich  man  also  died  and  was 
buried.      In  the  Place  of  Death  he  looked  up  in  his  torment,     23 
and  saw  Abraham  at  a  distance  and  Lazarus  at  his  side.     So  he     24 
called  out  '  Pity  me,  Father  Abraham,  and  send  Lazarus  to  dip 
the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water  and  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am 
suffering  agony  in  this  flame.' 

'Child,'    answered     Abraham,     'remember    that    you     in     25 
your  lifetime  received  what  you   thought   desirable,  just  as 
Lazarus  received  what  was  not  desirable  ;  but  now  he  has  his 
consolation  here,  while  you  are  suffering  agony.       And  not     26 
only  that,  but  between  you  and  us  there  lies  a  great  chasm,  so 
that  those  who  wish  to  pass  from  here  to  you  cannot,  nor  can 
they  cross  from  there  to  us.' 

'  Then,  Father,'  he  said,  '  I  beg  you  to  send  Lazarus  to  my  27 
father's  house — for  I  have  five  brothers — to  warn  them,  so  that  28 
they  may  not  come  to  this  place  of  torture  also.' 

'  They  have  the  writings  of  Moses  and  the  Prophets,'  replied  29 
Abraham  ;  '  let  them  listen  to  them.' 

'But,  Father  Abraham,'  he  urged,  'if  some  one  from  the  30 
dead  were  to  go  to  them,  they  would  repent.' 

'  If  they  do  not  listen  to  Moses  and  the  Prophets,'  answered     31 
Abraham,  '  they  will  not  be  persuaded,  even  if  some  one  were 
to  rise  from  the  dead.' " 

A     inst          Jesus  said  to  his  disciples :  i 

hindering         "It  is  inevitable  that  there  should  be  snares; 
others.       ve£  alas  for  him  who  is  answerable  for  them  !     It     2 
would  be  good  for  .him  if  he  had  been  flung  into  the  sea  with 
a  mill-stone  round  his  neck,  rather  than  that  he  should  prove  a 
snare  to  even  one  of  these  lowly  ones.     Be  on  your  guard  !    If    3 
On  deaiin      your  brother  does  wrong,  reprove  him  ;  but,  if  he 

with     "    repents,  forgive  him.     Even  if  he  wrongs  you     4 
wrong-doers,  seven  times  a  day,  but  turns  to  you  every  time 
and  says  '  I  am  sorry,'  you  must  forgive  him." 
The  Power        "  Give  us  more  faith,"  said  the  Apostles  to  the     5 
or  Faith.     Master  ;  but  the  Master  said  :  6 

"  If  your  faith  were  only  like  a  mustard-seed,  you  could  say 
to  this  mulberry  tree  '  Be  up-rooted  and  planted  in  the  sea,'  and 
it  would  obey  you. 

Which  of  you,  if  he  had  a  servant  ploughing,     7 
Duty'        or  tending  the  sheep,  would  say  to  him,  when  he 
came  in  from  the  fields,  '  Come  at  once  and  take  your  place 


144  LUKE,  17. 

at  table,'  instead  of  saying  '  Prepare  my  dinner,  and  then  make     8 
yourself  ready  and  wait  on  me  while  I  am  eating  and  drinking, 
and  after  that  you  shall  eat  and  drink  yourself  ?     Does  he  feel     9 
grateful  to  his  servant  for  doing  what  he  is  told  ?     And  so  with     10 
you — when  you  have  done  all  that  you  have  been  told,  still 
say  '  We  are  but  useless  servants  ;  we  have  done  no  more  than 
we  ought  to  have  done. ' " 

Jesus  On  the  way  to  Jerusalem  Jesus  passed  between     1 1 

heals  ten     Samaria  and  Galilee.  As  he  was  entering     12 

Lepers.      a  village,  ten  lepers  met  him.      Standing  still, 
some  distance  off,  they  called  out  loudly :  13 

"Jesus!  Sir!  pity  us  !" 
When  Jesus  saw  them,  he  said  :  14 

"  Go  and  show  yourselves  to  the  priests." 

And,  as  they  were  on  their  way,  they  were  made  clean.     One  of    15 
them,  finding  he  was  cured,  came  back,  praising  God  loudly, 
and  threw  himself  on  his  face  at  Jesus'  feet,  thanking  him  for     16 
what  he  had  done  ;  and  this  man  was  a  Samaritan. 

"Were  not  all  the  ten  made  clean?"  exclaimed  Jesus.  17 
"  But  the  nine — where  are  they?  Were  there  none  to  come  18 
back  and  praise  God  except  this  foreigner  ?  Get  up,"  he  said  to  19 
him,  "and  go  on  your  way.  Your  faith  has  delivered  you." 

The  comin         Being  once  asked  by  the  Pharisees  when  the     20 

of  the        Kingdom  of  God  was  to  come,  Jesus  answered  : 
Kingdom.     "The  Kingdom  of  God  does  not  come  in  a  way 
that  admits  of  observation,  nor  will  people  say  'Look,  here     21 
it  is!'  or  'There  it  is!';   for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you  !  The  day  will  come,"  he  said  to  his  disciples,     22 

"  when  you  will  long  to  see  but  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  and  will  not  see  it.     People  will  say  to  you  'There  he     23 
is  ! '  or  '  Here  he  is  ! '    Do  not  go  and  follow  them.     For,  just     24 
as   lightning    will   lighten   and    flare   from   one   side   of  the 
heavens  to  the  other,  so  will  it  be  with  the  Son  of  Man.     But     25 
first   he    must    undergo   much    suffering,    and    he    must   be 
rejected  by  the  present  generation.      As  it  was   in  the  days     26 
of  Noah,  so  will  it  be  again  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
They  were  eating   and   drinking   and  marrying   and    being     27 
married,  up  to  the  very  day  on  which  Noah  entered  the  ark, 
and  then  the  flood  came  and  destroyed  them  all.     So,  too,  in     28 
the    days    of  Lot.       People  were   eating-,   drinking,  buying, 
selling,  planting,  building  ;  but,  on  the  very  day  on  which  Lot     29 
came  out  of  Sodom,  it  rained  fire  and  sulphur  from  the  skies 
and  destroyed   them  all.      It  will  be  the  same   on   the  day     30 
on  which  the  Son  of  Man  reveals  himself.     On  that  day,  if  a     31 
man  is  on  his  house-top  and  his  goods  in  the  house,  he  must 
not  go  down  to  get  them  ;  nor  again  must  one  who  is  on  the 

"  Lev.  13.  49.    *  Gen.  7.  7.    »-«i  Gen.  19.  24,  26. 


LUKE,  17-18.  145 

farm  turn  back.     Remember  Lot's  wife.    Whoever  is  eager  to     32, 
get  the  most  out  of  his  life  will  lose  it ;  but  whoever  will  lose  it 
shall  preserve  it.     On  that  night,  I  tell  you,  of  two  men  upon     34 
the  same  bed,  one  will  be  taken  and  the  other  left ;  of  two  women     35 
grinding  together,  one  will  be  taken  and  the  other  left." 

"Where  will  it  be,  Master?  "  interposed  the  disciples.  37 

"Where   there  is  a  body,"  said  Jesus,   "'there  will    the 
vultures  flock.'" 

Parable          Jesus  told  his  disciples  a  parable  to  show  them     i  \ 
of  the        that  they  should  always  pray  and  never  despair, 
corrupt  judge.     "There  was,"  he  said,  "in  a  certain  town  a     2 
judge,  who  had  no  fear  of  God  nor  regard  for  man.     In  the     3 
same  town  there  was  a  widow  who  went  to  him  again  and 
again,   and   said   'Grant  me  justice  against  my  opponent.' 
For  a  time   the   judge  refused,   but  afterwards  he   said  to     4 
himself '  Although  I  am  without  fear  of  God  or  regard  for  man, 
yet,  as  this  widow  is  so  troublesome,  I  will  grant  her  justice,     5 
to  stop  her  from  plaguing  me  with  her  endless  visits.' " 
Then  the  Master  added  :  6 

"  Listen  to  what  this  iniquitous  judge  says  !  And  God — will     7 
not  he  see  that  his  own  People,  who  cry  to  him  night  and 
day,  have  justice  done  them — though  he  holds  his  hand  ?     He     8 
will,  I  tell  you,  have  justice  done  them,  and  that  soon  !     Yet, 
when  the  Son  of  Man  comes,  will  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  ?  " 

Another  time,  speaking  to  people  who  were  satisfied  that     9 
they  were  religious,  and  who  regarded  every  one  else  with 
scorn,  Jesus  told  this  parable — 

Parable  "  Two  men  went  up  into  the  Temple  Courts  to     10 

of  the       pray.     One  was  a  Pharisee  and  the  other  a  tax- 

'and'the9     gatherer.     The  Pharisee  stood  forward  and  began     1 1 
Tax-gatherer,  praying  to  himself  in  this  way — - 

'O  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  like  other  men — thieves, 
rogues,  adulterers — or   even   like  this  tax-gatherer.      I  fast     12 
twice  a  week,  and  give  a  tenth  of  everything  I  get  to  God.' 
Meanwhile  the  tax-gatherer  stood  at  a  distance,  not  ventur-     13 
ing  even  '  to  raise  his  eyes  to  Heaven  ' ;   but  he  kept  striking 
his  breast  and  saying  'O  God,  have  mercy  on  me,  a  sinner.' 
This  man,   I  tell  you,  went  home  pardoned,  rather  than  the     14 
other  ;  for  every  one  who  exalts  himself  will  be  humbled,  while 
every  one  who  humbles  himself  shall  be  exalted." 

Some  of  the  people  were  bringing  even  their     ic 

Jesus  blesses  .      ,  .  T  *>      '».  '      ,  ,  ° 

little         babies  to  Jesus,  for  him  to  touch  them  ;  but,  when 
Children,     the  disciples  saw  it,  they  began  to  find  fault  with 
those  who  had  brought  them.     Jesus,  however,  called  the  little     7.6 
children  to  him. 

37  Isa.  34.  15.    7  Enoch  47.  i,  z.    *3  Enoch  13.  5. 


146  LUKE,  18. 

"  Let  the  little  children  come  to  me,"  he  said,  "  and  do  not 
hinder  them  ;  for  it  is  to  the  childlike  that  the  Kingdom  of 
God  belongs.     I  tell  you,  unless  a  man  receives  the  Kingdom     17 
of  God  like  a  child,  he  will  not  enter  it  at  all." 


The  Re-  one  °^  ^'ie  Presidents  asked  Jesus  this 

aponsibilities  question  - 

of  wealth.  "Good  Teacher,  what  must  I  do  if  I  am  to 
gain  Immortal  Life?" 

"  Why  do  you  call  me  good?  "  answered  Jesus.  "  No  one 
is  good  but  God.  You  know  the  commandments-- 

'  Do  not  commit  adultery,  Do  not  kill,  Do  not  steal,  Do  not 
say  what  is  false  about  others,  Honour  thy  father  and  thy 
mother.'  " 

"  I  have  observed  all  these,"  he  replied,  "  from  childhood." 
Hearing  this,  Jesus  said  to  him  : 

"There  is  one  thing  still  lacking  in  you;  sell  every  thing 
that  you  have,  and  distribute  to  the  poor,  and  you  shall  have 
wealth  in  Heaven  ;  then  come  and  follow  me." 
But  the  man  became  greatly  distressed  on  hearing  this,  for  he 
was   extremely  rich.  Seeing  this,  Jesus  said  to    his 

disciples  : 

"How  hard  it  is  for  men  of  wealth  to  enter  the  Kingdom 
of  God  !  It  is  easier,  indeed,  for  a  camel  to  get  through  a 
needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
God  !  " 

"  Then  who  can  be  saved  ?  "  asked  those  who  heard  this. 
But  Jesus  said  : 

"What  is  impossible  with  men  is  possible  with  God." 

"  But  we,"  said  Peter,  "we  left  what  belonged  to  us  and 
followed  you." 

"  I  tell  you,"  he  answered,  "  that  there  is  no  one  who  has  left 
house,  or  wife,  or  brothers,  or  parents,  or  children,  on  account  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  who  will  not  receive  many  times  as  much 
in  the  present,  and  in  the  age  that  is  coming  Immortal  Life." 

Gathering  the  Twelve  round  him,  Jesus  said  to 
.  thi"Ut?me,  them  : 

roret«ii«  "  Listen  !  We  are  going  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and 
hi*  Death,  there  everything  that  is  written  in  the  Prophets 
will  be  done  to  the  Son  of  Man.  For  he  will  be  given  up 
to  the  Gentiles,  mocked,  insulted  and  spat  upon  ;  they  will 
scourge  him,  and  then  put  him  to  death  ;  and  on  the  third  day 
he  will  rise  again." 

The  Apostles  did  not  comprehend  any  of  this  ;  his  meaning 
was  unintelligible  to  them,  and  they  did  not  understand  what 
he  was  saying. 

*>  Exod.  ao.  la—  16.    38  Hos.  6.  a. 


LUKE,  18-19.  147 

Cure  of          ^S  Jesus  was  gating  near  Jericho,  a  blind  man     35 
a  blind       was  sitting  by  the  road-side,  begging.     Hearing     36 

Man-         a  crowd  going  by,  the  man  asked  what  was  the 
matter  ;  and,  when  people  told  him  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was     37 
passing,  he  shouted  out :  38 

"Jesus,  Son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me  !  " 

Those  who  were  in  front  kept  telling  him  to  be  quiet,  but  he     39 
continued  to  call  out  the  louder  : 

"  Son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me  !  " 

Then  Jesus  stopped  and  ordered  the  man  to  be  brought  to  him.     40 
And,  when  he  had  come  close  up  to  him,  Jesus  asked  him  : 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ?  "  41 

"  Master,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  recover  my  sight." 
And  Jesus  said  :  "  Recover  your  sight,  your  faith  has  delivered     42 
you." 

Instantly  he  recovered  his  sight,  and  began  to  follow  Jesus,     43 
praising  God.  And  all  the  people,  on  seeing  it,  gave 

glory  to  God. 

zacchaeus       Jesus  entered  Jericho  and  made  his  way  through     i 
the          the  town.  There  was  a  man  there,  known     2 

Tax-gatherer,  by  the  name  of  Zacchaeus,  who  was  a  commis- 
sioner of  taxes  and  a  rich  man.     He  tried  to  see  what  Jesus     3 
was  like  ;  but,  being  short,  he  was  unable  to  do  so  because 
of  the  crowd.     So  he  ran  on  ahead  and  climbed  up  into  a    4 
mulberry  tree,  to  see  Jesus,  for  he  knew  that  he  must  pass 
that  way.     When  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up  and     5 
said  to  him  : 

"Zacchaeus,  be  quick  and  come  down,  for  I  must  stop  at 
your  house  to-day." 

So  Zacchaeus  got  down  quickly,  and  joyfully  welcomed  him.     6 
On  seeing  this,  every  one  began  to  complain  :  7 

"  He  has  gone  to  stay  with  a  man  who  is  an  outcast." 
But  Zacchaeus  stood  forward  and  said  to  the  Master :  8 

"  Listen,  Master  !  I  will  give  half  my  property  to  the  poor, 
and,  if  I  have  defrauded  any  one  of  anything,  I  will  give 
him  back  four  times  as  much." 

"  Salvation  has  come  to  this  house  to-day,"  answered  Jesus,     9 
"for  even  this  man  is  a  son  of  Abraham.     The  Son  of  Man     10 
has  come  to  '  search  for  those  who  are  lost '  and  to  save  them. " 

As  the  people  were  listening  to  this,  Jesus  went     n 
oVThe       on  to  tell  them  a  parable.     He  did  so  because  he 
Pounds.      was  near  Jerusalem,  and  because  they  thought 
that  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  going  to   be  proclaimed    at 
once.     He  said  :  12 

"A  nobleman  once  went  to  a  distant  country  to  receive  his 
appointment  to  a  Kingdom  and  then  return.  He  called  ten  13 

,  34.  16. 


148  LUKE,  19. 

of  his  servants  and  gave  them  ten  pounds  each,  and  told 
them  to  trade  with  them  during  his  absence.     But  his  subjects     14 
hated  him  and  sent  envoys  after  him  to  say  '  We  will  not 
have  this  man  as   our   King.'  On  his  return,  after     15 

having  been  appointed  King,  he  directed  that  the  servants  to 
whom  he  had  given  his  money  should  be  summoned,  so  that 
he  might  learn  what  amount  of  trade  they  had  done.    The  first     16 
came  up,  and  said  '  Sir, your  ten  pounds  have  made  a  hundred.' 

'  Well  done,  good  servant !' exclaimed  the  master.     'As  you     17 
have  proved  trustworthy  in  a  very  small  matter,  I  appoint  you 
governor  over  ten  towns.'     When  the  second  came,  he  said     18 
'Your  ten  pounds,  Sir,  have  produced  fifty.'     So  the  master     19 
said  to  him  'And  you  I  appoint  over  five  towns.'     Another     20 
servant  also  came  and  said  '  Sir,  here  are  your  ten  pounds ;  I 
have  kept  them  put  away  in  a  handkerchief.     For  I  was  afraid     21 
of  you,  because  you  are  a  stern  man.      You  take  what  you 
have  not  planted,  and  reap  what  you  have  not  sown.'     The     22 
master  answered  '  Out  of  your  own  mouth  I  judge  you,  you 
worthless  servant.     You  knew  that  I  am  a  stern  man,  that  I 
take  what  I  have  not  planted,  and  reap  what  I  have  not  sown  ? 
Then  why  did  not  you  put  my  money  into  a  bank?     And  I,  on     23 
my  return,  could  have  claimed  it  with  interest.     Take  away     24 
from  him  the  ten  pounds,'  he  said  to  those  standing  by,  'and 
give  them  to  the  one  who  has  the  hundred.' 

'  But,    Sir,'   they   interposed,    '  he   has  a   hundred   pounds     25 
already ! ' 

'  I  tell  you,'  he  answered,  '  that,  to  him  who  has,  more  will     26 
be  given,  but,  from  him  who   has   nothing,   even  what  he 
has  will   be   taken  away.  But   as  for  my  enemies,     27 

these  men  who  would  not  have  me  as  their  King,  bring  them 
here  and  put  them  to  death  in  my  presence.'" 
After   saying   this,  Jesus   went   on    in    front,   going   up   to     28 
Jerusalem. 


V.— THE  LAST  DAYS. 

jesus  enter*      It  was  when  Jesus  had  almost  reached  Beth-    29 
Jerusalem,    phage  and  Bethany,  near  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
that  he  sent  on  two  of  the  disciples. 

"  Go  to  the  village  facing  us,"  he  said,  "  and,  when  you  get    30 
there,  you  will  find  a  foal  tethered,  which  no  one  has  yet 
ridden  ;    untie  it  and    lead  it  here.      And,   if  anybody  asks     31 
you  'Why  are  you  untying  it?,'  you  are  to  say  this — 'The 
Master  wants  it.' " 

So  the  two  who  were  sent  went  and  found  it  as  Jesus  had  32 
told  them.  While  they  were  untying  the  foal,  the  owners  33 
asked  them — "  Why  are  you  untying  the  foal  ?  "  And  the  two  34 
disciples  answered — "The  Master  wants  it." 


LUKE,  19-20.  149 

Then  they  led  it  back  to  Jesus,  and  threw  their  cloaks  on  the     35 
foal  and  put  Jesus  upon  it.    As  he  went  along,  the  people  kept     36 
spreading  their  cloaks  in  the  road.     When  he  had  almost     37 
reached  the  place  where  the  road  led  down  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  every  one  of  the  many  disciples  began  in  their  joy  to 
praise  God  loudly  for  all  the  miracles  that  they  had  seen  : 

"  Blessed  is  He  who  comes —  38 

Our  King — in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! 
Peace  in  Heaven, 
And  glory  on  high." 

Some  of  the  Pharisees  in  the  crowd  said  to  him  :  39 

"Teacher,  reprove  your  disciples." 
But  Jesus  answered  :  40 

"  I  tell  you  that  if  these  men  are  silent,  the  very  stones  will 
call  out." 

When  he  drew  near,  on  seeing  the  city,  he  wept  over  it,  and     41 
said :  42 

"Would  that  you  had  known,  while  yet  there  was  time — 
even  you — the  things  that  make  for  peace  !     But  now  they 
have  been  hidden  from  your  sight.     For  a  time  is  coming  upon     43 
you  when  your  enemies  will  surround  you  with  earthworks, 
and  encircle  you,   and  hem  you  in  on  all  sides  ;    they  will     44 
trample  you  down  and  your  children  within  you,  and  they  will 
not  leave  in  you  one  stone  upon  another,  because  you  did  not 
know  '  the  time  of  your  visitation.' " 

Jesus  Jesus  went  into  the  Temple  Courts  and  began     45 

in  the        to  drive  out  those  who  were  selling,  saying  as  he    46 

Temple.        did  so  : 

"  Scripture  says — '  My  House  shall  be  a  House  of  Prayer' ; 
but  you  have  made  it  '  a  den  of  robbers.' " 

Jesus  continued  to  teach  each  day  in  the  Temple  Courts  ;     47 
but  the  Chief  Priests  and  Teachers  of  the  Law  were  eager  to 
take  his  life,  and  so  also  were  the  leading  men.     Yet  they    48 
could  not  see  what  to  do,  for  the  people  all  hung  upon  his 
words. 


Jeai  On  one  of  these  days,  when  Jesus  was  teaching 

and*  the  the  people  in  the  Temple  Courts  and  telling  the 
chief  Priests.  Good  News,  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers  of 
the  Law,  joined  by  the  Councillors,  confronted  him,  and  ad- 
dressing him,  said  : 

"Tell  us  what  authority  you  have  to  do  these  things. 
Who  is  it  that  has  given  you  this  authority  ?  " 

"I,  too,"  said  Jesus  in  reply,  "will  ask  you  one  question. 

38  ps.  118.  25,  26;  Zech.  9.  9.     «  Ps.  137.  9.     46  Isa.  56.  7  ;  Jer.  7.  n. 


150  LUKE,  2O. 

Give  me  an  answer  to  it.     It  is  about  John's  baptism — was  it    4 

of  divine  or  of  human  origin  ?  " 

But  they  began  arguing  together  :  5 

"  If  we  say  '  divine,'  he  will  say  '  Why  did  not  you  believe 
him?'     But,  if  we  say  'human,'  the  people  will  all  stone  us,     6 
for  they  are  persuaded  that  John  was  a  Prophet." 
So  they  answered  that  they  did  not  know  its  origin.  7 

"Then  I,"  said  Jesus,  "refuse  to  tell  you  what  authority  I     8 
have  to  do  these  things." 

parable          But  Jesus  began  to  tell  the  people  this  parable —    9 
oftne'wicked      "A  man  once  planted  a  vineyard,  and  then  let 

Tenants,      it  out  to  tenants,  and  went  abroad  for  a  long  while. 
At  the  proper  time  he  sent  a  servant  to  the  tenants,  that  they     10 
should  give  him  a  share  of  the  produce  of  the  vineyard.     The 
tenants,  however,  beat  him  and  sent  him  away  empty-handed. 
The  owner  afterwards  sent  another  servant ;  but  the  tenants     1 1 
beat  and  insulted  this  man  too,  and  sent  him  away  empty- 
handed.     He  sent  a  third «  but  they  wounded  this  man  also,     12 
and  threw  him  outside.     '  What  shall  I  do  ?  '  said  the  owner  of    13 
the  vineyard.      *  I  will  send  my  son,  who  is  very  dear  tome. 
Perhaps  they  will  respect  him.'    But,  on  seeing  him,  the  tenants     14 
consulted  with  one  another.     '  Here  is  the  heir  ! '  they  said. 
'  Let   us    kill    him,    and    then   the    inheritance   will    become 
ours.'    So  they  threw  him  outside  the  vineyard  and  killed  him.     15 
Now  what  will  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  do  to  them  ?     He  will     16 
come  and  put  those  tenants  to  death,  and  will  let  the  vineyard 
to  others." 

"  Heaven  forbid  !  "  they  exclaimed  when  they  heard  it.     But     17 
Jesus  looked  at  them  and  said  : 

"  What  then  is  the  meaning  of  this  passage  ? — 

'  The  very  stone  which  the  builders  despised 
Has  now  itself  become  the  corner-stone.' 

Every  one  who  falls  on  that  stone  will  be  dashed  to  pieces,  while     18 
any  one  on  whom  it  falls — it  will  scatter  him  as  dust." 

After  this  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  the  Chief  Priests  were     19 
eager  to  lay  hands  on  Jesus  then  and  there,  but  they  were 
afraid  of  the  people  ;  for  they  saw  that  it  was  at  them  that  he 
A  Question    ^at*  anilcd  this  parable.  Having  watched     20 

about        their   opportunity,    they   afterwards    sent    some 
Tribute,      spies,  who  pretended  to  be  good  men,  to  catch 
Jesus  in   the  course  of  conversation,  and  so  enable  them  to 
give   him    up   to  the  Governor's  jurisdiction  and  authority. 
Tin.  se  men  asked  Jesus  a  question.     They  said  :  21 

"Teacher,  we  know  that  you  are  right  in  what  you  say  and 
teach,  and  that  you  do  not  take  any  account  of  a  man's  posi- 
tion, but  teach  the  Way  of  God  honestly  ;  are  we  right  in     22 
paying  tribute  to  the  Emperor  or  not  ?  " 

•Isa.  5.  i.    "  Ps.  118.  22. 


LUKE,  2O.  151 

Seeing  through  their  deceitfulness,  Jesus  said  to  them  :  23 

"  Show  me  a  florin.  Whose  head  and  title  are  on  it?"  24 

"The  Emperor's,"  they  said  ;  and  Jesus  replied  :  25 

"Well  then,  pay  to  the  Emperor  what  belongs  to  the 

Emperor,  and  to  God  what  belongs  to  God." 

They  could    not  lay  hold  of  this  answer  before  the  people  ;     26 

and,  in  their  wonder  at  his  reply,  they  held  their  tongues. 

A  Question        Presently  there  came  up  some  Sadducees,  who     27 
about  the    maintain  that  there  is  no  resurrection.      Their 
Resurrection,  question  was  this — 
"Teacher,  Moses  laid  down  for  us  in  his  writings  that —          28 

'  Should  a  man's  married  brother  die,  and  should  he  be 
childless,  the  man  should  take  the  widow  as  his  wife,  and 
raise  up  a  family  for  his  brother.' 

Well,  there  were  once  seven  brothers  ;  of  whom  the  eldest,  29 
after  taking  a  wife,  died  childless.  The  second  and  third  30 
brothers  both  took  her  as  their  wife  ;  and  so,  too,  did  all  seven  31 
— dying  without  children.  The  woman  herself  was  the  last  32 
to  die.  About  the  woman,  then — at  the  resurrection,  whose  33 
wife  is  she  to  be,  all  seven  brothers  having  had  her  as  their 
wife  ?  " 

"The  men  and  women  of  this  world,"  said  Jesus,  "marry     34 
and  are  given  in  marriage  ;  but,  for  those  who  are  thought     35 
worthy  to  attain  to   that  other  world  and    the   resurrection 
from  the  dead,  there  is  no  marrying  or  being  married,  nor    36 
indeed  can  they  die  again,  for  they  are  like  angels  and,  having 
shared  in  the  resurrection,  they  are  God's  Sons.     As  to  the     37 
fact  that  the  dead   rise,  even    Moses  indicated   that,  in  the 
passage  about  the  Bush,  when  he  calls  the  Lord — 

'  The  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God 
of  Jacob.' 

Now  he  is  not  God  of  dead  men,  but  of  living.     For  in  his     38 
sight  all  are  alive." 

"  Well  said,  Teacher  !  "  exclaimed  some  of  the  Teachers  of  39 
the  Law,  for  they  did  not  venture  to  question  him  any  40 
further. 

Christ  ^ut  Jesus  said  to  them  :  41 

the  son  of        "  How  is  it  that  people  say  that  the  Christ  is 

David.        t0  be  David's  son  ?     For  David,  in  the  Book  of    42 
Psalms,  says  himself — 

'  The  Lord  said  to  my  lord  :  "  Sit  at  my  right  hand, 
Until  I  put  thy  enemies  as  a  stool  for  thy  feet."  '  43 

David,  then,  calls  him  '  lord,'  so  how  is  he  David's  son  ?  "  44 

»  Deut.  25.  5— 6.     37  Exod.  3.  2— 6.    38  4  Mace.  16.  25.    *&-43  Ps.  no.  i. 


152  LUKE,  20-21. 

While  all  the  people  were  listening,  Jesus  said     45 

Warn  I  n  gs  «          . .       •     - 

against  the    to  the  disciples  I 

Teachers  of       "  Be  on  your  guard  against  the  Teachers  of  the    46 

the  Law.      Law>  Wh0  delight  to  walk  about  in  long  robes, 
and  like  to  be  greeted  in  the  streets  with  respect,  and  to  have 
the  best  seats  in  the  Synagogues,  and  places  of  honour  at 
dinner.     These  are  the  men  who  rob  widows  of  their  houses,     47 
and  make  a  pretence  of  saying  long  prayers.     Their  sentence 
will  be  all  the  heavier." 
The  widow's       Looking  up,  Jesus  saw  the  rich  people  putting     i 

offering,      their  gifts  into  the  chests  for  the  Temple  offer- 
ings.    He  saw,  too,  a  widow  in  poor  circumstances  putting     2 
two  farthings  into  them.     On  this  he  said  :  3 

"  I  tell  you  that  this  poor  widow  has  put  in  more  than  all 
the  others  ;  for  every  one  else  here  put  in  something  from  what     4 
he  had  to  spare,  while  she,  in  her  need,  has  put  in  all  she 
had  to  live  upon." 

Jesus  When  some  of  them  spoke  about  the  Tejnple    5 

foretells  the  being  decorated  with  beautiful  stones  and  offer- 
of^htTr^ple in&s,  Jesus  said: 

and  the  End       "  As   for   these   things   that  you  are   looking    6 
of  the  Age.    a^  a  time  is  coming  when  not  one  stone  will 
be    left    upon    another    here,    which   will    not     be    thrown 
down." 

So    the    disciples    questioned    Jesus  :     "  But,     Teacher,     7 
when  will  this  be?  and  what  sign  will  there  be  when  this  is 
near  ?  " 
And  Jesus  said  :  8 

"  See  that  you  are   not   led   astray ;   for  many  will    take 
my  name,  and  come  saying  '  I  am  He,'  and  '  The  time  is  close 
at  hand.'     Do  not  follow  them.     And,  when  you  hear  of  wars     9 
and  disturbances,  do  not  be  terrified,  for  these  things  must 
occur  first ;  but  the  end  will  not  be  at  once." 
Then  he  said  to  them  :  10 

"  '  Nation  will  rise  against  nation  and  kingdom    against 
kingdom,' and  there  will  be  great  earthquakes,  and  plagues     n 
and    famines   in   various   places,  and   there   will    be   terrible 
appearances  and  signs  in  the  heavens.     Before  all  this,  they  will     12 
lay  hands  on  you  and  persecute  you,  and  they  will  betray  you 
to  Synagogues  and  put  you  in  prison,  when  you  will  be  brought 
before  kings  and  governors  for  the  sake  of  my  Name.     Then     13 
will  be  your  opportunity  of  witnessing  for  me.     Make  up  your     14 
minds,  therefore,  not  to  prepare  your  defence  ;  for  I  will  myself    15 
give  you  words,   and  a  wisdom   which   all  your  opponents 
together  will  be  unable  to  resist  or  defy.     You  will  be  betrayed     16 
even  by  your  parents  and  brothers  and  relations  and  friends, 

"  Dan.  a.  a8.    ">  Isa.  19.  a. 


LUKE,  21.  153 

and  they  will  cause  sqme  of  you  to  be  put  to  death,  and  you  17 
will  be  hated  by  every  one  on  account  of  my  Name.  Yet  18 
not  a  single  hair  of  your  heads  shall  be  lost  !  By  your  19 
endurance  you  shall  win  yourselves  Life.  As  soon,  20 

however,  as  you  see  Jerusalem  surrounded  by  armed  camps, 
then   you   may   know   that  the   hour  of    her  desecration   is 
at  hand.     Then  those  of  you  who  are  in  Judaea  must  take     21 
refuge  in  the  mountains,  those  who  are  in  Jerusalem  must 
leave  at  once,  and  those  who  are  in  the  country  places  must 
not  go  into  it.     For  these  are  to  be  the  Days  of  Vengeance,     22 
when  all  that  Scripture  says  will  be  fulfilled.     Alas  for  the     23 
women  that  are  with  child,  and  for  those  that  are  nursing 
infants  in  those  days  !     For  there  will  be  great  suffering  in  the 
land,  and  anger  against  this  people.    They  will  fall  by  the  edge     24 
of  the  sword,  and  will  be  taken  prisoners  to  every  land,  and 
'Jerusalem  will  be  under  the  heel  of  the  Gentiles,'  until  their 
day  is  over  —  as  it  shall  be.     There  will  be  signs,  too,  in  the     25 
sun  and  moon  and  stars,  and  on  the  earth  despair  among  the 
nations,  in  their  dismay  at  the  roar  of  the  sea  and  the  surge. 
Men's  hearts  will  fail  them  through  dread  of  what  is  coming     26 
upon  the  world  ;  for  '  the  forces  of  the  heavens  will  be  con- 
vulsed.'   Then  will  be  seen  the  '  Son  of  Man  coming  in  a  cloud  '     27 
with  power  and  great  glory.  And,  when  these  things     28 

begin  to  occur,  look  upwards  and  lift  your  heads,   for  your 
deliverance  will  be  at  hand." 

The  Need         Then  he  taught  them  a  lesson  thus  —  29 

tor          "  Look  at  the  fig  tree  and  all  the  other  trees.     As     30 
Watchfulness,  soon   as   they    shoot,    you    know,    as   you    look 
at  them,  without  being  told,  that  summer  is  near.     And  so     31 
may  you,    as    soon    as    you    see    these    things    happening, 
know  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  near.     I  tell  you  that  even     32 
the  present  generation  will  not  pass  away  till  all  has  taken 
place.     The  heavens  and  the  earth  will  pass  away,  but  my     33 
words  will  never  pass  away.  Be  on  your  guard  lest     34 

your  minds  should  ever  be  dulled  by  debauches  or  drunken- 
ness or  the  anxieties  of  life,  and  lest  '  That  Day  '  should  come 
suddenly  upon  you,  like  a  snare.     For  come  it  will  upon  all     35 
who  are  living  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.     Be  on  the     36 
watch  at  all  times,  and  pray  that  you  may  have  strength  to 
escape  all   that  is  destined  to   happen,  and   to   stand  in  the 
presence  of  the  Son  of  Man." 

During  the  days,  Jesus  continued  to  teach  in  the  Temple     37 
Courts,  but  he  went  out  and  spent  the  nights  on  the  hill  called 
the  '  Mount  of  Olives.'    And  all  the  people  would  get  up  early     38 
in  the  morning  and  come  to   listen  to  him  in  the  Temple 
Courts. 


o.  7.      24  Zech.   12.  3  (S«ptuagtfnt).      25 
™  Dan.  7.  13  ;  Jer.  7.  13.    28  Enoch  51.  2. 


Hos.  o.  7.      24  Zech.   12.  3  (S«ptuagtfnt).      25  ps.  65.  7.      26  Isa.  34.  4. 

Isa.  24.  17. 


154  LUKE,  22. 


Feast  of  the  Unleavened  Bread,  known  as     i 
agamat      the  Passover,  was  near.  The  Chief  Priests     2 

jesus.  ancj  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  were  looking  for 
an  opportunity  of  destroying  Jesus,  for  they  were  afraid  of  the 
people. 

judas  agrees      Now  Satan  took  possession  of  Judas,  who  was     3 
to  betray     known   as   Iscariot,  and    who   belonged  to   the 

jesus.       Twelve  ;  and  he  went  and  discussed  with  the  Chief    4 
Priests  and  Officers  in  charge  at  the  Temple  the  best  way 
of  betraying  Jesus  to  them.     They  were  glad  of  this,  and     5 
agreed  to  pay  him.     So  Judas  assented,  and  looked  for  an     6 
opportunity  to  betray  Jesus  to  them,  in  the  absence  of  a  crowd. 

The  When  the  day  of  the  Festival  of  the  Unleavened     7 

Passover.     Bread  came,  on  which  the  Passover  lambs  had  to 
be  killed,  Jesus  sent  forward  Peter  and  John,  saying  to  them  :     8 

"  Go  and  make  preparations  for  our  eating  the  Passover." 

"Where   do  you   wish   us   to   make  preparations?"   they    9 
asked. 

"  Listen,"  he  answered,  "  when  you  have  got  into  the  city,  a     10 
man  carrying  a  pitcher  of  water  will  meet  you;  follow  him  into 
whatever  house  he  enters  ;  and  you  shall  say  to  the  owner  of  the     1  1 
house  '  The  Teacher  says  to  you  —  Where  is  the  room  where  I 
am  to  eat  the  Passover  with  my  disciples?'     The  man  will     12 
show  you  a  large  upstairs  room,  set  out  ;  there  make  prepara- 
tions." 

So  Peter  and  John  went  on,  and  found  everything  just  as  Jesus     13 
had  told  them,  and  they  prepared  the  Passover. 

When  the  time  came,  Jesus  took  his  place  at  table,  and  the     14 
Apostles  with  him. 

"  I  have  most  earnestly  wished,"  he  said,  "  to  eat  this  Pass-     15 
over  with  you  before  I  suffer.     For  I  tell  you  that  I  shall  not     16 
eat  it  again,  until  it  has  had  its  fulfilment  in  the  Kingdom  of 
God." 

Then,  on  receiving  a  cup,  after  saying  the  thanksgiving,  he     17 
said  : 

"  Take  this  and  share  it  among  you.     For  I  tell  you  that  I     18 
shall  not,  after  to-day,  drink  of  the  juice  of  the  grape,  till  the     . 
Kingdom  of  God  has  come." 

The  'Lord**  Then  Jesus  took  some  bread,  and,  after  saying     19 

supper.*  the  thanksgiving,  broke  it  and  gave  to  them,  with 
the  words  : 

"  This  is  my  body,  [which  is  now  to  be  given  on  your  behalf. 
Do  this  in  memory  of  me." 
And  in  the  same  wav  with  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying  :  20 

"This  cup  is  the  New  Covenant  made  by  my  blood  which  is 
being  poured  out  on  your  behalf.]     Yet  see  !  the  hand  of  the     21 
man  that  is  betraying  me  is  beside  me  upon  the  table  !    True,     22 

»  Exod.  24.  8. 


LUKE,  22.  155 

the  Son  of  Man  is  passing,  by  the  way  Ordained  for  him,  yet 
alas  for  that  man  by  whom  he  is  being  betrayed  !  " 
Then  they  began  questioning  one  another  which  of  them  it     23 
could  be  that  was  going  to  do  this. 
The  Dignity       And  a  dispute  arose  among  them  as  to  which     24 

of  service,  of  them  was  to  be  regarded  as  the  greatest.  Jesus,  25 
however,  said  : 

"The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them,  and  their 
oppressors  are  styled   '  Benefactors.'     But  with  you  it  must     26 
not  be  so.     No,  let  the  greatest  among  you  become  like  the 
youngest,  and  him  who  leads  like  him  who  serves.     Which  is     27 
the    greater — the    master   at   the   table   or   his  servant?     Is 
not  it  the  master  at  the  table?     Yet  I   myself  am  among 
you    as    one    who    serves.  You    are    the    men    who     28 

have   stood   by   me  in  my   trials  ;   and,  just  as  my    Father     29 
has  assigned  me  a  Kingdom,   I  assign  you  places,  so  that     30 
you  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  Kingdom,  and 
be  seated  upon  twelve  thrones  as  judges  of  the  twelve  tribes  of 

Peter's  Fail   Israel.  Simon  !    Simon  !    listen.      Satan     31 

foretold,      demanded  leave  to  sift  you  all  like  wheat,  but     32 
I   prayed    for  you,   Simon,    that   your  faith   should    not   fail. 
And  you,  when  you  have  returned  to  me,  are  to  strengthen 
your  Brothers." 

"  Master,"  said  Peter,  "  with  you  I  am  ready  to  go  both  to  33 
prison  and  to  death." 

"  I  tell  you,  Peter,"  replied  Jesus,  "the  cock  will  not  crow  34 
to-day  till  you  have  disowned  all  knowledge  of  me  three  times." 

The  Then  he  said  to  them  all :  35 

End  at  "When    I    sent  you  out  as  my  Messengers, 

Hand.        without  either  purse,  or  bag,  or  sandals,  were 
you  in  need  of  anything  ?  " 

"No;  nothing,"  they  answered. 

"  Now,  however,"  he  said,  "he  who  has  a  purse  must  take     36 
it  and  his  bag  as  well  ;  and  he  who  has  not  must  sell  his  cloak 
and  buy  a  sword.     For,  I  tell  you,  that  passage  of  Scripture     37 
must  be  fulfilled  in  me,  which  says — 

'  He  was  counted  among  the  godless ' ; 

indeed,  all  that  refers  to  me  is  finding  its  fulfilment." 

"  Master,"  they  exclaimed,    "  look,  here  are  two  swords  !  "     38 
"  Enough  !  "  said  Jesus. 

Jesi  Jesus  then  went  out,  and  made  his  way  as  usual  39 

on  the  Mount  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  followed  by  his  dis- 

of  oiives.  ciples.  And,  when  he  reached  the  spot,  he  said  40 
to  them  : 

"  Pray  that  you  may  not  fall  into  temptation." 

*l  Isa.  53.  12. 


156  LUKE,  22. 

Then  he  withdrew  about  a  stone's  throw,  and  knelt  down  and    41 
began  to  pray. 

"  Father,"  he  said,  "  if  it  is  thy  pleasure,  spare  me  this  cup ;     42 
only,  not  my  will  but  thine  be  done." 

[Presently  there  appeared  to  him  an  angel  from  Heaven,  who     43 
strengthened  him.     And,  as  his  anguish  became  intense,  he     44 
prayed  still  more  earnestly,  while  his  sweat  was  like  great 
drops  of  blood  falling  on  the  ground.]     Then  he  rose  from     45 
praying,  and  came  to  the  disciples  and  found  them  sleeping 
for  sorrow. 

"  Why  are  you  asleep  ?  "  he  asked  them.     "  Rise  and  pray,     46 
that  you  may  not  fall  into  temptation." 

The  While    he    was    still   speaking,   a   crowd    ap-    47 

Arrest  o*     peared   in  sight,   led  by  the  man  called  Judas, 
jeaus.       who  was  one  of  the  Twelve.     Judas  approached 
Jesus,  to  kiss  him  ;  on  which  Jesus  said  to  him  :  48 

"Judas,  is  it  by  a  kiss  that  you  betray  the  Son  of  Man  ?  " 
But  when  those  who  were  round  Jesus  saw  what  was  going  to    49 
happen,  they  exclaimed  : 

"  Master,  shall  we  use  our  swords  ?  " 

And  one  of  them  struck  the  High  Priest's  servant  and  cut  off  -  50 
his  right  ear  ;  on  which  Jesus  said  :  "  Let  me  at  least  do  this  ";     51 
and,  touching  his  ear,  he  healed  the  wound.     Then,  turning  to     52 
the  Chief  Priests  and  Officers  in  charge  at  the  Temple  and 
Councillors,  who  had  come  for  him,  he  said  : 

"  Have  you  come  out,  as  if  after  a  robber,  with  swords  and 
clubs  ?     When  I  was  with  you  day  after  day  in  the  Temple     53 
Courts,  you  did  not  lay  hands  on  me  ;  but  now  your  tim3  has 
come,  and  the  power  of  Darkness." 

Je-us  Those  who  had  taken  Jesus  prisoner  took  him     54 

before  the    away  into  the  house  of  the  High  Priest.     Peter  fol- 
High  Priest,  lowed  at  a  distance.    But, when  they  had  lit  afire  in     55 
the  centre  of  the  court-yard  and  had  all  sat  down  there,  Peter 
seated  himself  in  the  middle  of  them.     Presently  a  maidservant    56 
peter  disowns  saw  n'm  sitting  near  the  blaze  of  the  fire.     Fixing 
jesus.       her  eyes  on  him,  she  said  : 

"  Why,  this  man  was  one  of  his  companions  ! " 
But  Peter  denied  it.  57 

"  I  do  not  know  him,"  he  replied. 

A  little  while  afterwards  some  one  else — a  man — saw  him  and    58 
said  : 

"  Why,  you  are  one  of  them  !  " 
"  No,"  Peter  said,  "  I  am  not." 
About  an  hour  later  another  man  declared  positively  :  59 

"  This  man  also  was  certainly  with  him.     Why,   he  is  a 
GalSlaean  ! " 

But  Peter  said  :    "I  do  not  know  what  you  are  speaking    60 
about." 


LUKE,  22-23.  157 

Instantly,  while  he  was  still  speaking,  a  cock  crowed.    And  the     61 
Master  turned  and  looked  at  Peter ;  and  Peter  remembered 
the  words  that  the  Master  had  said  to  him — "  Before  a  cock  has 
crowed  to-day,  you  will  disown  me  three  times"  ;  and  he  went    63 
outside  and  wept  bitterly. 

The  men  that  held  Jesus  kept  making  sport  of  him  and  63 
beating  him.  They  blindfolded  him  and  then  questioned  64 
him. 

"Now  play  the  Prophet,"  they  said;  "who  was  it  that 
struck  you  ?  " 
And  they  heaped  many  other  insults  on  him.  65 

Jesus  At  daybreak  the  National  Council  met — both     66 

before  the    the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law — 

Chief  Priests.  ancj  took  Jesus  before  their  High  Council. 
"  If  you  are  the  Christ,"  they  said,  "  tell  us  so."  67 

"If  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "you  will  not  believe  me; 

and,  if  I  question  you,  you  will  not  answer.     But  from  this     68,  ( 

hour  '  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  seated  on  the  right  hand  of  God 

Almighty.'" 

"Are  you,  then,  the  Son  of  God  ?  "  they  all  asked.  70 

"  It  is  true,"  answered  Jesus,  "  I  am." 

At  this  they  exclaimed  :  71 

"  Why  do  we  want  any  more  evidence  ?     We  have  heard  it 

ourselves  from  his  own  lips  !  " 

.    _  Then   they  all  rose  in  a  body  and  led  Jesus     i  2 

jewus  oeToro  i-\«i  *<ii  •_* 

the  Roman    before  Pilate.     And  they  began  to  accuse  him  :        2 

Governor.  "  This  is  a  man  whom  we  found  misleading  our 
people,  preventing  them  from  paying  taxes  to  the  Emperor,  and 
giving  out  that  he  himself  is  '  Christ,  a  King.'" 

"  Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  "  Pilate  asked  him.  3 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Jesus. 
But  Pilate,  turning  to  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  people,  said  :      4 

"  I  do  not  see  anything  to  find  fault  with  in  this  man." 
But  they  insisted  :  5 

"  He  is  stirring  up  the  people  by  his  teaching  all  through 
Judaea  ;  he  began  with  Galilee  and  has  now  come  here." 
Hearing  this,  Pilate  asked  if  the  man  was  a  Galilaean  ;  and,     6,  7 
having  satisfied  himself  that  Jesus  came  under  Herod's  juris- 
diction, he  sent  him  to  Herod,  who  also  was  at  Jerusalem  at  the 
Jesus  before  time.  When  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  ex-    8 

Herod.       ceed'mgly  pleased,  for  he  had  been  wanting  to  see 
him  for  a  long  time,  having  heard  a  great  deal  about  him  ;  and 
he  was  hoping  to  see  some  sign  given  by  him.     So  he  questioned     9 
him  at  some  length,'but  Jesus  made  no  reply.     Meanwhile  the     10 
Chief  Priests  and  the  Teachers   of  the   Law   stood  by  and 
vehemently  accused  him.    And  Herod,  with  his  soldiers,  treated     n 
Jesus  with  scorn  ;  he  mocked  him  by  throwing  a  gorgeous  robe 
69  Ps.  no.  i ;  Dan.  7. 13. 


158  LUKE,  23. 

round  him,  and  then  sent  him  back  to  Pilate.  And 

Herod  and  Pilate  became  friends  that  very  day,  for  before 
that  there  had  been  ill-will  between  them. 

So  Pilate  summoned  the  Chief  Priests,  and  the 
aeajn8beVore  leading  men,  and  the  people,  and  said  to  them  : 

the  Roman        ' '  You  brought  this  man  before  me  charged  with 

Governor,  misleading  the  people ;  and  yet,  for  my  part, 
though  I  examined  him  before  you,  I  did  not  find  this  man 
to  blame  for  any  of  the  things  of  which  you  accuse  him  ;  nor 
did  Herod  either ;  for  he  has  sent  him  back  to  us.  And, 
as  a  fact,  he  has  not  done  anything  deserving  death  ;  so 
I  shall  have  him  scourged,  and  then  release  him." 
But  they  began  to  shout  as  one  man  : 

"  Kill  this  fellow,  but  release  Barabbas  for  us." 
(Barabbas  was  a  man  who  had  been  put  in  prison  for  a  riot 
that  had  broken  out  in  the  city  and  for  murder.)     Pilate,  how- 
ever, wanting  to  release  Jesus,  called  to  them  again  ;  but  they 
kept  calling  out : 

"  Crucify,  crucify  him  ! " 

"  Why,  what  harm  has  this  man  done?  "  Pilate  said  to  them 
for  the  third  time.  "  I  have  found  nothing  in  him  for  which 
he  could  be  condemned  to  death.  So  I  will  have  him  scourged, 
and  then  release  him." 

But  they  persisted  in  loudly  demanding  his  crucifixion  ;  and 
their  clamour  gained  the  day.  Pilate  decided  that  their 
demand  should  be  granted.  He  released  the  man  who  had 
been  put  in  prison  for  riot  and  murder,  as  they  demanded,  and 
gave  Jesus  up  to  be  dealt  with  as  they  pleased. 

The  And,  as  they  were  leading  Jesus  away,  they 

Crucifixion    laid  hold  of  Simon  from  Cyrene,  who  was  on  his 

of  Jeaus.  way  jn  from  the  country,  and  they  put  the  cross 
on  his  shoulders,  for  him  to  carry  it  behind  Jesus.  There 

was  a  great  crowd  of  people  following  him,  many  being  women 
who  were  beating  their  breasts  and  wailing  for  him.  So  Jesus 
turned  and  said  to  them  : 

"Women  of  Jerusalem,  do  not  weep  for  me,  but  weep  for 
yourselves  and  for  your  children.  A  time,  I  tell  you,  is  coming, 
when  it  will  be  said — '  Happy  are  the  women  who  are  barren, 
and  those  who  have  never  borne  children  or  nursed  them  ! ' 
At  that  time  people  will  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains  '  Fall 
on  us,'  and  to  the  hills  'Cover  us.'  If  what  you  see  is  done 
while  the  tree  is  green,  what  will  happen  when  it  is  dry?  " 
There  were  two  others  also,  criminals,  led  out  to  be  executed 
with  Jesus. 

When  they  had  reached  the  place  called  'The  Skull,'  there 
they  crucified  Jesus  and  the  criminals,  one  on  the  right,  and 
one  on  the  left 

80  Hos.  10.  8.    31  Ezek.  20.  47. 


LUKE,  23.  159 

[Then  Jesus  said  :  34 

1 '  Father,  forgive  them ;  they  do  not  know  what  they  are 

doing."] 

His  clothes  they  divided  among  them  by  casting  lots.     Mean-     35 

while  the  people  stood  looking  on.     Even  the  leading  men  said 

with  a  sneer : 

"  He  saved  others,  let  him  save  himself,  if  he  is  God's  Christ, 

his  Chosen  One." 

The  soldiers,  too,  came  up  in  mockery,  bringing  him  common     36 

wine,  and  saying  as  they  did  so  :  37 

"If  you  are  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  yourself." 

Above  him  were  the  words —  38 

'THIS    IS    THE    KING    OF    THE    JEWS.' 

The  One  of  the  criminals  who  were  hanging  beside     39 

penitent     Jesus  railed  at  him. 

Robber.          «  Are  notyou  the  Christ?  Save  yourself  and  us," 
he  said. 
But  the  other  rebuked  him.  40 

"  Have  not  you,"  he  said,  "any  fear  of  God,  now  that  you 
are  under  the  same  sentence  ?     And  we  justly  so,  for  we  are     41 
only  reaping  our  deserts,  but  this  man  has  not  done  anything 
wrong.    Jesus,"  he  went  on,  "  do  not  forget  me  when  you  have    42 
come  to  your  Kingdom." 
And  Jesus  answered  :  43 

"  I  tell  you,  this  very  day  you  shall  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

The  Death     It  was  nearly  mid-day,  when  a  darkness  came    44 

or  Jesus.      over  the  whole  country,  lasting  till  three  in  the 
afternoon,  the  sun  being  eclipsed  ;  and  the  Temple  curtain  was    45 
torn  down  the  middle.     Then  Jesus,  with  a  loud  cry,  said  :          46 

"  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit." 

And  with  these  words  he  expired.  The  Roman  Captain,     47 

on  seeing  what  had  happened,  praised  God,  exclaiming  : 

"  This  must  have  been  a  good  man  !  " 

All  the  people  who  had  collected  to  see  the  sight  watched  what    48 
occurred,  and  then  went   home   beating  their  breasts.      All     49 
the  friends  of  Jesus  had  been  standing  at  a  distance,  with  the 
women  who  accompanied  him  from  Galilee,  watching  all  this. 

The  Burial        Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  name  of  Joseph,     50 

of  Jesus,     who  was  a  member  of  the  Council,  and  who  bore  a 
good  and  upright  character.     (This  man  had  not  assented  to     51 
the  decision  and  action  of  the    Council.)      He   belonged    to 
Ramah,  a  town  in  Judaea,  and  lived  in  expectation  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.     He  now  went  to  see  Pilate,  and  asked  for     52 
the  body  of  Jesus  ;  and,  when  he  had  taken  it  down,  he  wrapped     53 
it  in  a  linen  sheet,  and  laid  him  in  a  tomb  cut  out  of  stone, 

*»  Ps.   22.   18.      35  ps.   23.  7  ;    Enoch   40.   5.      M  Ps.  6q.   ai.      «  Ps.  31.  5. 
V  Wisd.  of  Sol.  2.  i&     49  ps.  38.  „. 


160  LUKE,  23-24. 

in  which  no  one  had  yet  been  buried.  It  was  the  Pre-     54 

paration  Day,  and  just  before  the  Sabbath  began.  The     55 

women  who  had  accompanied  Jesus  from  Galilee  followed,  and 
saw  the  tomb  and  how  the  body  of  Jesus  was  laid,  and  then     56 
went  home,  and  prepared  spices  and  perfumes. 


VI.— THE  RISEN  LIFE. 

The  During  the  Sabbath  they  rested,  as  directed  by 

Resurrection  the  commandment.     But  very  early  on  the  first     i    2 

of  jeaus.      day  Of  the  week  they  went  to  the  tomb,  taking 
with  them  the  spices  that  they  had  prepared.     They  found  that     2 
the  stone  had  been  rolled  away  from  the  tomb  ;  and,  on  going     3 
into  it,  they  could  not  find  the  body  [of  the  Lord  Jesus].      While     4 
they  were  at  a  loss  to  account  for  this,  all  at  once  two  men 
stood  beside  them,  in  dazzling  clothing.     But,  when  in  their     5 
fear  the  women  bowed  their  faces  to  the  ground,  the  men  said 
to  them  : 

"Why  are  you  looking  among  the  dead  for  him  who  is 
living?    [He  is  not  here  ;  but  he  has  risen.]     Remember  how     6 
he  spoke  to  you  before  he  left  Galilee — how  he  said  that  the     7 
Son  of  Man  must  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men, 
and  be  crucified,  and  rise  again  on  the  third  day." 
Then  they  remembered  the  words  of  Jesus,  and,  on  returning    8,  9 
from  the  tomb,  they  told  all  this  to  the  Eleven  and  to  all  the 
rest.     There  were  Mary  of  Magdala,  and  Joanna,  and  Mary,     10 
the  mother  of  James.     The  other  women,  too,  spoke  about  this 
to  the  Apostles.     What  they  said  seemed  to  the  Apostles  mere     1 1 
nonsense,  and  they  did  not  believe  them. 

[But  Peter  got  up  and  ran  to  the  tomb.     Stooping  down  he     12 
saw  nothing  but  the  linen  wrappings,  and  he  went  away, 
wondering  to  himself  at  what  had  taken  place.] 

jesus  appears     ^  happened  that  very  day  that  two  of  the  disci-     13 
on  the  road  pies  were  going   to  a  village  called    Emmaus, 
to  Emmaus.  which  was  about  seven  miles  from  Jerusalem, 

talking  together,  as  they  went,  about  all  that  had  just  taken     14 

place.     While    they  were   talking   about   these   things   and     15 

discussing  them,  Jesus  himself  came  up  and  went  on  their 

way  with  them  ;    but  their  eyes  were  blinded  so  that  they     16 

could  not  recognize  him. 

"  What  is  this  that  you  are  saying  to  each  other  as  you  walk     17 

along  ?  "  Jesus  asked. 

They  stopped,  with  sad  looks  on  their  faces,  and  then  one  of    18 

them,  whose  name  was  Cleopas,  said  to  Jesus  : 

"Are  you  staying  by  yourself  at  Jerusalem,  that  you  have 

not  heard  of  the  things  that  have  happened  there  within  the 

last  few  days  ?  " 


LUKE,  24.  161 

"What  things  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Jesus.  19 

"  Why,  about  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  they  answered,  "  who,  in 
the  eyes  of  God  and  all  the  people,  was  a  Prophet,  whose 
power  was  felt  in  both  his  words  and  actions  ;   and  how  the     20 
Chief   Priests    and    our    leading    men    gave    him    up  to    be 
sentenced  to  death,  and  afterwards  crucified  him.      But  we     21 
were  hoping  that  lie  was  the  Destined  Deliverer  of  Israel ; 
yes,  and  besides  all  this,  it  is  now  three  days  since  these  things 
occurred.      And  what  is  more,  some  of  the  women  among    "22 
us  have  greatly  astonished  us.     They  went  to  the  tomb  at 
daybreak  and,  not  finding  the  body  of  Jesus  there,  came  and     23 
told  us  that  they  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels  who  told  them 
that  he  was  alive.     So  some  of  our  number  went  to  the  tomb     24 
and  found  everything  just  as  the  women  had  said  ;  but  they 
did  not  see  Jesus." 
Then  Jesus  said  to  them  :  25 

"O  foolish  men,  slow  to  accept  all  that  the  Prophets  have 
said  !    Was  not  the  Christ  bound  to  undergo  this  suffering     26 
before  entering  upon  his  Glory  ?  " 

Then,  beginning  with  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets,  he  explained     27 
to  them  all  through  the  Scriptures  the  passages  that  referred 
to  himself.  When  they  got  near  the  village  to  which     28 

they  were  walking,  Jesus  appeared  to  be  going  further ;  but     29 
they  pressed  him  not  to  do  so. 

"  Stay  with  us,"  they  said,  "  for  it  is  getting  towards  evening, 
and  the  sun  is  already  low." 

So  Jesus  went  in  to  stay  with  them.  After  he  had     30 

taken    his    place  at    table   with    them,    he   took    the    bread 
and  said  the  blessing,  and  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  them. 
Then  their  eyes  were  opened  and  they  recognized  him  ;  but  he     31 
disappeared  from  their  sight. 

"  How  our  hearts  glowed,"  the  disciples  said  to  each  other,     32 
"while  he  was  talking  to  us  on  the  road,  and  when  he  ex- 
plained the  Scriptures  to  us  ! " 

Then  they  immediately  got  up  and  returned  to  Jerusalem,     33 
where  they  found  the  Eleven  and  their  companions  all  together, 
who  told  them  that  the  Master  had  really  risen,   and  had     34 
appeared  to  Simon.     So  they  also  related  what  had  happened     35 
during  their  walk,  and  how  they  had  recognized  Jesus  at  the 
Breaking  of  the  Bread. 

Jesi  While  they  were  still  talking  about  these  things,     36 

appears  to  the  Jesus   himself    stood    among    them,    [and    said 

Apostles.      "  Peace  be  with  you."]      In  their  terror  and  alarm     37 
they  thought  they  saw  a  spirit,  but  Jesus  said  to  them  :  38 

"  Why  are  you  so  startled  ?  and   why  do  doubts  arise  in 
your  minds  ?     Look  at  my  hands  and  my  feet,  and  you  will     39 
know  that  it  is  I.     Feel  me,  and  look  at  me,  for  a  spirit  has  not 
flesh  and  bones,  as  you  see  that  I  have." 

[After  saying  this  he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet.] 

G 


162  LUKE,  24. 

While  they  were  still  unable  to  believe  it  all  for  very  joy,     41 
and  were  wondering  if  it  were  true,  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

"  Have  you  anything  here  to  eat  ?  " 

They  handed  him  a  piece  of  broiled  fish,  and  he  took  it  and     42, 
ate  it  before  their  eyes. 

"  This  is  what  I  told  you,"  he  said,  "  when  I  was  still  with     44 
you — that  everything-   that   had  been    written   about  me   in 
the  Law  of  Moses,   the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms,  must  be 
fulfilled." 

Then  he  enabled  them  to  understand  the   meaning   of  the     45 
Scriptures,  saying  to  them  :  46 

"Scripture  says  that  the   Christ   should    suffer,  and  that 
he  should  rise  again  from  the  dead  on  the  third  day,  and  that     47 
repentance  for  forgiveness  of  sins  should  be  proclaimed  on  his 
authority  to  all  the  nations — beginning  at  Jerusalem.     You     48 
yourselves  are  to  be  witnesses  to  all  this.     And  now  I  am  my-    49 
self  about   to   send   upon    you   that   which   my    Father  has 
promised.     But  you  must  remain  in  the  city  until  you  have 
been  invested  with  power  from  above." 

Je-|  After  this,  Jesus  led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany,  50 

ascends  to    and  there  raised  his  hands  and  blessed  them.     As  51 

Heaven,      he  was  in  the  act  of  blessing  them,  he  left  them 

[and  was  carried  up  into  Heaven.]     They  [bowed  to  the  ground  52 

before  him  and]  returned  to  Jerusalem  full  of  joy;    and  they  53 
were  constantly  in  the  Temple  Courts,  blessing  God. 

el  a  Kings  a.  n. 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  ACCORDING  TO 
JOHN. 


THE    GOSPEL    ACCORDING    TO 
ST.    JOHN'. 


WRITTEN    AT    EPHESUS    AT    AN    UNCERTAIN 
DATE     LATER    THAN     80    A.D. 


THIS  gospel  appears  to  embody  the  doctrine  concerning 
Christ  which  was  accepted  in  the  Ephesian  Church  in  Asia 
Minor  by  the  end  of  the  First  Century.  It  was  not  authorita- 
tively attributed  to  the  Apostle  John  till  towards  the  end  of 
the  Second  Century  after  Christ ;  but  it  may  safely  be  ascribed, 
if  not  to  St.  John  himself,  to  some  writer  brought  up  in  the 
Church  of  Ephesus,  over  which  that  Apostle  so  long  presided. 

The  writer  apparently  proposed  to  himself  to  illustrate  the 
spirit  of  the  '  Gospel  of  Love '  by  such  incidents  in  the  life  of 
Jesus  as  best  suited  his  purpose  ;  at  the  same  time  correct- 
ing previous  gospels,  and  making  such  additions  to  them,  as 
his  information  enabled  him  to  do.  There  is  no  attempt  at  a 
regular  connected  narrative  ;  and  the  writer  allows  himself 
such  freedom  in  commenting  upon  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  that 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  tell  where  that  teaching  ends  and  the 
writer's  comment  begins. 

It  is  to  the  great  struggle  between  Light  and  Darkness, 
Death  and  Life — words  much  in  use  and  much  debated  in  the 
current  philosophy  of  Ephesus — that  the  writer  devotes  his 
attention,  rather  than  to  the  external  incidents  of  a  story  which 
has  already  been  told,  and  which  is  plainly  viewed  by  him  from 
a  greater  distance  of  time  than  is  the  case  with  the  compilers  of 
the  three  other  gospels. 


ACCORDING    TO    JOHN. 


INTRODUCTION.  . 

In  the  Beginning  the  Word  was  ;  I 

And  the  Word  was  with  God  ; 
And  the  Word  was  God. 

He  was  in  the  Beginning  with  God  ;  2 

Through  him  all  things  came  into  being,  3 

And  nothing  came  into  being  apart  from  him. 

That  which  came  into  being  in  him  was  Life  ;  4 

And  the  Life  was  the  Light  of  Man  ; 

And  the  Light  shines  in  the  darkness,  5 

And  the  darkness  never  overpowered  it. 

There  appeared  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John ;    6 
He  came  as  a  witness — to  bear  witness  to  the  Light  7 

That  through  him  all  men  might  believe. 

He  was  not  the  Light,  8 

But  he  came  to  bear  witness  to  the  Light. 

That  was  the  True  Light  which  enlightens  every  man  coming    9 

into  the  world. 

He  was  in  the  world  ;  10 

And  through  him  the  world  came  into  being — 
Yet  the  world  did  not  know  him. 

He  came  to  his  own —  1 1 

Yet  his  own  did  not  receive  him. 

But  to  all  who  did  receive  him  he  gave  power  to  become     12 

Children  of  God — 
To  those  who  believe  in  his  Name. 
For  not  to  natural  conception,  nor  to  human  instincts,  nor  to     13 

will  of  man  did  they  owe  the  new  Life, 
But  to  God. 

1  Gen.  i.  i ;  Pa.  33.  6.    3  \yisd.  of  Sol.  9.  i.    «  Ps.  36.  9. 


166  JOHN,  1. 

And  the  Word  became  Man,  and  dwelt  among  us,  14 

(We  saw  his  glory — the  glor^of  the  Only  Son  sent  from  the 

Father), 

Full  of  love  and  truth. 
(John  bears  witness  to  him ;   he  cried  aloud — for  it  was  he     15 

who  spoke — 

"  '  He  who  is  Coming '  after  me  is  now  before  me, 
For  he  was  ever  First ") ; 

Out  of  his  fulness  we  have  all  received  some  gift,  16 

Gift  after  gift  of  love  ; 

For  the  Law  was  given  through  Moses,  17 

Love  and  truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ. 

No  man  has  ever  yet  seen  God  ;  18 

God  the  Only  Son,  who  is  ever  with  the  Father — 
He  has  revealed  him. 


I. — THE  PREPARATION. 

When  the  Jews  sent  some  Priests  and  Levites     19 
nyto  J°hn   !rom   Jerusalem,   to  ask— "  Who  are 
Baptist  to     you  ?  ",   his   statement  was   this  :   he  confessed     20 

desus.        antj  did  not  deny  it}  he  confessed — "I  am  not 
the  Christ." 

"  What  then  ?  "  they  asked.    "  Are  you  Elijah  ?  "  21 

"No, "he  said,  "  I  am  not." 
"Are  you  '  the  Prophet '  ?  " 
He  answered  "  No." 

"Who  then  are  you?"  they  continued  ;  "tell  us,  that  we     22 
may  have  some  answer  to  give  to  those  who  have  sent  us. 
What  do  you  say  about  yourself?  " 

"  I,"  he  answered,  "  am —  23 

1  The   voice    of    one    crying1    aloud    in    the   Wilderness — 
"  Straighten  the  way  of  the  Lord  "  ', 

as  the  Prophet  Isaiah  said." 

These  men  had  been  sent  from  the  Pharisees  ;  and  their  next     24, 

question  was  : 

"Why  then  do  you  baptize,  if  you  are  not  the  Christ,  nor 
Elijah,  nor  yet  '  the  Prophet '  ?  " 

John's  answer  was — "  I  baptize  with  water,  but  among  you     26 
stands  one  whom  you  do  not  know  ;  he  is  coming  after  me,     27 
yet  I  am  not  worthy  even  to  unfasten  his  sandal." 
All  this  took  place  at  Be.tb.any,  across  the  Jordan,  where  John     28 
was  then  baptizing. 

The  next  day  John  saw  Jesus  coming  towards   him,  and     29 
exclaimed  : 

"  Here  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  is  to  take  away  the  sin  of 

J*   Lev.   a6.    ii.      »  Pa.    118.    a6.    •  "  P».  a.  a.      «   Mai.  4.   5;    Deut.    18.    15. 
»  Jsa.  40.  3.     »  Deut.  18.  15.    *»  Isa.  53.  7,  la, 


JOHN,  1.  167 

the  world!    It  was  of  him  that  I  spoke  when  I  said  'After  me    30 
there  is  coming  a  man  who  is  now  before  me,  for  he  was 
ever  First.'     I  myself  did  not  know  him,  but,  that  he  may  be     31 
made  known  to  Israel,  I  have  come,  baptizing  with  water." 
John  also  made  this  statement  —  32 

"  I  have  seen  the  Spirit  descending-  as  a  dove  out  of  the 
heavens,  and  it  remained  upon  him.     I  myself  did  not  know     33 
him,  but  he  who  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  he  said  to  me 
'  He  upon  whom  you  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remain- 
ing upon  him  —  he  it  is  who  baptizes  with  the  Holy  Spirit.' 
This  I  have  seen  myself,  and  I  have  declared  my  belief  that  he     34 
is  the  Son  of  God." 


The  first  next    ^ay,    when    John    was    standing    35 

Disciples     with  two  of  his  disciples,  he  looked  at  Jesus  as     36 

of  Jesus.      ]ie  passed  and  exclaimed  : 

"  There  is  the  Lamb  of  God  !  " 

The  two  disciples  heard  him  say  this,  and  followed  Jesus.     37 
But  Jesus  turned  round,  and  saw  them  following.  .     38 

"  What  are  you  looking  for?  "  he  asked. 

"  Rabbi,"  they  answered  (or,  as  we  should  say,  "Teacher"), 
"  where  are  you  staying  ?  " 

"  Come,  and  you  shall  see,"  he  replied.  39 

So  they  went,  and  saw  where  he  was  staying,  and  spent 
that  day  with  him.  It  was  then  about  four  in  the  after- 
noon. One  of  the  two,  who  heard  what  John  said  and  40 

followed  Jesus,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother.     He  first    41 
found  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  said  to  him  :  "  We  have 
found  the  Messiah  !  "  (a  word  which  means  '  Christ,'  or  '  Con- 
secrated '.)     Then  he  brought  him  to  Jesus.     Fixing  his  eyes     42 
on  him,  Jesus  said  : 

"  You  are  Simon,  the  son  of  John  ;  you  shall  be  called 
Kephas  "  (which  means  '  Peter,'  or  '  Rock  '). 

The  following  day  Jesus  decided  to  leave  for  Galilee.     He    43 
found  Philip,  and  said  to  1iim  :  "  Follow  me." 
Philip  was  from  Bethsaida,  and  a  fellow-townsman  of  Andrew    44 
and  Peter.     He  found  Nathanael  and  said  to  him  :  45 

"We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  wrote  in  the  Law, 
and  of  whom  the  Prophets  also  wrote  —  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
Joseph's  son  !  " 

'  '  Can    anything    good    come   out   of    Nazareth  ?  "    asked    46 
Nathanael. 

"Come  and  see,"  replied  Philip. 
When  Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  towards  him,  he  said  :  ,        47 

"  Here  is  a  true  Israelite,  in  whom  there  is  no  deceit!  " 

"  How,  do  you  know  me  ?  "  asked  Nathanael.  48 

"  Even  before  Philip  called  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  when  you 
were  under  the  fig  tree,  I  saw  you." 

34  Ps.  2.  7.    *?  Gen.  27.  35. 


168  JOHN,  1—2. 

"Rabbi,"  Nathanael  exclaimed,  "you  are  the  Son  of  God,     49 
you  are  King  of  Israel  !  " 

"  Do  you  believe  in  me,"  asked  Jesus,  "because  I  told  you     50 
that  I  saw  you  under  the  fig  tree?     You  shall  see  greater 
things  than  those!     In  truth  I  tell  you, "he  added,  "you  shall     51 
all  see  Heaven  open,  and  '  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending '  upon  the  Son  of  Man." 


II. — THE  WORK  IN  JUDAEA,  GALILEE,  AND  SAMARIA. 

je«usat;i        Two  days  after  this  there  was  a  wedding  at     i 

wedding  at    Cana  in  Galilee,  and  Jesus'  mother  was  there. 

cana.  Jesus  himself,  too,  with  his  disciples,  was  2 
invited  to  the  wedding.  And,  when  the  wine  ran  short,  his  3 
mother  said  to  him  :  "  They  have  no  wine  left." 

"What  do  you  want  with  me?"   answered  Jesus.     "My    4 
time  has  not  come  yet." 

His  mother  said  to  the  servants:  "Do  whatever  he  tells  you."     5 
There  were  standing  there  six  stone  water-jars,  in  accordance     6 
with  the  Jewish  rule  of  '  purification,'  each  holding  twenty  or 
thirty  gallons. 

Jesus  said  to  the  servants  :  "  Fill  the  water-jars  with  water;  "    7 
and,  when  they  had  filled  them  to  the  brim,  he  added :  8 

"Now  take  some  out,  and  carry  it  to  the  Master  of  the  Feast." 
The  servants  did  so.     And,  when  the  Master  of  the  Feast  had     9 
tasted  the  water  which  had  now  become  wine,  not  knowing 
where  it  had  come  from — although  the  servants  who  had  taken 
out  the  water  knew — he  called  the  bridegroom  and  said  to  him  :     10 

"  Every  one    puts    good   wine    on    the    table    first,    and 
inferior  wine  afterwards,  when  his  guests  have  drunk  freely  ; 
but  you  have  kept  back  the  good  wine  till  now  !  " 
This,  the  first  sign  of  his  mission,  Jesus  gave  at  Cana  in     n 
Galilee,  and    by    it   revealed    his    glory ;    and    his    disciples 
believed  in  him. 


j.«u.;,,         After  this,  Jesus  went  down  to  Capernaum —     12 
c«p«rnaum.  he,  his  mother,  his  brothers,  and  his  disciples  ; 
but  they  stayed  there  only  a  few  days. 

j««u«  «t  the       Then,  as  the  Jewish  Passover  was  near,  Jesus     13 
Tompio  in    went  up  to  Jerusalem.     In  the  Temple  Courts  he     14 

j«ruMi«m.    found  people  who  were  selling  bullocks,  sheep, 
and  pigeons,  and  the  money-changers  at  their  counters.     So     15 
he  made  a  whip  of  cords,  and  drove  them  all  out  of  the  Temple 

<•  Ps.  a.  6.     «  Gen.  aS.  la  ;  Dan.  7.  13. 


JOHN,  2—3.  169 

Courts,  and  the  sheep  and  bullocks  as  well ;  he  scattered  the 
money  of  the  money-changers,  and  overturned  their  tables, 
and  said  to  the  pigeon-dealers  :  16 

"  Take  these  things  away.    Do  not  turn  my  Father's  House 
into  a  market-house." 
His  disciples  remembered  that  Scripture  said —  17 

'  Zeal  for  thy  House  will  consume  me.' 

Upon  this  the  Jews  asked  Jesus  :  18 

"  What  sign  are  you  going  to  show  us,  since  you  act  in  this 
way  ?  " 

"  Destroy  this  temple,"  was  his  answer,  "  and  I  will  raise  it     19 
in  three  days." 

" This  Temple," replied  the  Jews,  "has  been  forty-six  years     20 
in  building,  and  are  you  going  to  '  raise  it  in  three  days '  ?  " 
But  Jesus  was  speaking  of  his  body  as  a  temple.  After-     21, 

wards,  when  he  had  risen  from  the  dead,  his  disciples  remem- 
bered that  he  had  said  this  ;  and  they  believed  the  passage  of 
Scripture,  and  the  words  which  Jesus  had  spoken. 

While  Jesus  was  in  Jerusalem,  during  the  Passover  Festival,     23 
many  came  to  trust  in  him,  when  they  saw  the  signs  of  his 
mission  that  he  was  giving.     But  Jesus  did  not  trust  himself    24 
to  them,  since  he  could  read  every  heart,  and  because  he  did     25 
not  need  that  others  should  tell  him  what  men  were  ;  for  he 
could  of  himself  read  what  was  in  men. 

The  visit  of        Now  there  was  a  Pharisee  named  Nicodemus,     i    ! 
Nicodemus    who  was  a  leading  man  among  the  Jews.     This     2 

to  Jesus,      man  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Rabbi,  we  know  that  you  are  a  Teacher  come  from  God  ; 
for  no  one  could  give  such  signs  as  you  are  giving,  unless  God 
were  with  him." 

"In  truth  I  tell  you,"  exclaimed  Jesus,  "unless  a  man  is    3 
reborn,  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

"  How  can  a  man,"  asked  Nicodemus,  "  be  born  when  he  is    4 
old  ?     Can  he  be  born  a  second  time  ?  " 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "  unless  a  man  owes    5 
his  birth  to  Water  and  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  the  Kingdom 
of  God.     All  that  owes  its  birth  to  human  nature  is  human,     6 
and  all  that  owes  its  birth  to  the  Spirit  is  spiritual.     Do  not    7 
wonder  at  my  telling  you  that  you  all  need  to  be  reborn. 
The  wind  blows  where  it  wills,  and  you  can  hear  the  sound  of    8 
it,  but  you  do  not  know  whence  it  comes,  or  where  it  goes  ; 
it   is   the   same  with   every  one  that  owes  his  birth  to  the 
Spirit." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  "  asked  Nicodemus..  9 

"  What !    You  a  teacher  of  Israel,"  exclaimed  Jesus,  "  and     10 

17  ps.  69.  9.    19  Hos.  6.  2.    3  Dan<  2<  ^ 

G* 


170  JOHN,  3. 

yet  do  not  understand  this  !.    In  truth  I  tell  you  that  we  speak     1 1 
of  what  we  know,  and  state  what  we  have  seen  ;  and  yet  you  do 
not  accept  our  statements.    If,  when  I  tell  you  earthly  things,     12 
you  do  not  believe  me,  how  will  you  believe  me  when  I  tell  you 
of  heavenly  things?     No  one  has  ascended  to  Heaven,  except     13 
him  who  descended  from  Heaven — the  Son  of  Man  himself. 
And,  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  desert,  so  must  the     14 
Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up  ;  that  every  one  who  believes  in  him     15 
may  have  Immortal  Life." 

For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  Son,  that     16 
every  one  who  believes  in  him  may  not  be  lost,   but  have 
Immortal  Life.     For  God  did  not  send  his  Son  into  the  world     17 
to  condemn  the  world,   but  that  the  world  might  be  saved 
through  him.     He  who  believes  in  him  escapes  condemnation,     18 
while  he  who  does  not  believe  in  him  is  already  condemned, 
because  he  has  not  believed  in  the  only  Son  of  God.     The     19 
ground  of  his  condemnation  is  this,  that  though  the  Light 
has  come  into  the  world,  men  preferred  the  darkness  to  the 
Light,  because  their  actions  were  wicked.     For  he  who  lives     20 
an  evil  life  hates  the  light,  and  will  not  come  to  it,  for  fear 
that  his  actions  should  be  exposed  ;  but  he  who  acts  up  to  the     21 
truth  comes  to  the  light,  that  his  actions  may  be  shown  to  have 
been  done  in  dependence  upon  God. 


After  this,  Jesus  went  with  his  disciples  into  the     22 
TTe«ftfmo'ny*  country  parts  of  Judaea ;  and  there  he  stayed  with 
to  Jesus      them,  and  baptized.     John,  also,  was  baptizing     23 

in  Judaea.  aj-  Aenon  near  Salim,  because  there  were  many 
streams  there  ;  and  people  were  constantly  coming  and  being 
baptized.  (Forjohn  had  notyet  been  imprisoned).  Now  24, 

a  discussion  arose  between  some  of  John's  disciples  and  a  Jew 
on  the  subject  of  '  purification  ;'  and  the  disciples  came  to     26 
John  and  said  : 

"  Rabbi,  the  man  who  was  with  you  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Jordan,  and  to  whom  you  have  yourself  borne  testimony — he, 
also,  is  baptizing,  and  everybody  is  going  to  him." 
John's  answer  was —  27 

"A  man  can  gain  nothing  but  what  is  given  him  from 
Heaven.     You  are  yourselves  witnesses  that   I   said   '  I  am     28 
not  the  Christ,'  but    'I    have  been   sent    before   him    as    a 
Messenger.'     It  is  the  bridegroom  who  has  the  bride  ;  but  the     29 
bridegroom's  friend,  who  stands  by  and  listens  to  him,   is 
filled  with  joy  when  he  hears  the  bridegroom's  voice.     This 
joy  I   have  felt  to  the  full.     He  must  become  greater,  and     30 
I  less." 

He  who  comes  from  above  is  above  all  others  ;  but  a  child     31 
of  earth  is  earthly,  and  his  teaching  is  earthly,  too.     He  who 

13  Prov.  30.  4. 


JOHN,  8-4.  171 

comes  from  Heaven  is  above  all  others.     He  states  what  he     32 
has  seen  and  what  he  heard,  and  yet  no  one  accepts  his  state- 
ment.    They  who  did  accept  his  statement  attested  the  fact     33 
that  God  is  true.     For  he  whom  God  sent  as  his  Messenger    34 
gives  us  God's  own  teaching,  for  God  does  not  limit  the  gift 
of  the  Spirit.     The  Father  loves  his  Son,  and  has  put  every-    35 
thing  in  his  hands.     He  who  believes  in  the  Son  has  Immortal     36 
Life,  while  he  who  rejects  the  Son  will  not  even  see  that  Life, 
but  remains  under  '  God's  displeasure.' 

jesua    nd         Now,  when  the  Master  heard  that  the  Pharisees     i 

the  woman    had  been  told  that  he  was  making  and  baptizing 
or  Samaria,  rnore   disciples   than  John  (though   it  was    not     2 
Jesus  himself,  but  his  disciples,  who  baptized),  he  left  Judaea,     3 
and  set  out  again  for  Galilee.  He  had  to  pass  through     4 

Samaria,  and,  on  his  way,  he  came  to  a  Samaritan  town  called     5 
Shechem,  near  the  plot  of  land  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph.    Jacob's  Spring  was  there,  and  Jesus,  being  tired  after    6 
his  journey,  sat  down  beside  the  spring,  just  as  he  was.     It 
was  then  about  mid-day.     A  woman  of  Samaria  came  to  draw    7 
water  ;  and  Jesus  said  to  her — "  Give  me  some  to  drink,"  for    8 
his  disciples  had  gone  into  the  town  to  buy  food. 

"  How  is  it,"  replied  the  Samaritan  woman,"  that  you  who     9 
are  a  Jew  ask  for  water  from  a  Samaritan  woman  like  me  ?  " 
(For  Jews  do  not  associate  with  Samaritans). 

"  If  you  knew  of  the  gift  of  God,"  replied  Jesus,  "and  who     10 
it  is  that  is  saying  to  you  'Give  me  some  water, 'you  would  have 
asked  him,  and  he  would  have  given  you  'living  water'." 

"You  have  no  bucket,  Sir,  and  the  well  is  deep,"  she  said  ;     n 
"where  did  you  get  that  'living  water?'      Surely  you  are     12 
not  greater  than  our  ancestor  Jacob  who  gave  us  the  well, 
and    used   to  drink  from  it  himself,   and  his  sons,  and  his 
cattle  ! " 

"All  who  drink  of  this  water,"  replied  Jesus,   "will   be     13 
thirsty  again  ;  but  whoever  once  drinks  of  the  water  that  I     14 
will  give  him  shall  never  thirst  any  more  ;  but  the  water  that 
I  will  give  him  shall  become  a  spring  welling  up  within  him — 
a  source  of  Immortal  Life." 

"Give  me  this  water,  Sir,"  said  the  woman,   "so  that  I     15 
may  not  be  thirsty,   nor  have  to  come  all  the  way  here   to 
draw  water." 

"Go  and  call  your  husband,"  said  Jesus,  "and  then  come     16 
back." 

"  I  have  no  husband,"  answered  the  woman.  17 

"You  are  right  in  saying  'I  have  no  husband,'"  replied 
Jesus,    "for   you    have    had    five    husbands,    and    the    man     18 
with  whom  you  are  now  living  is  not  your  husband ;  in  saying 
that,  you  h«ve  spoken  the  truth." 

36  Ps.  78.  31.     *  Gen.  48.  22  (Septuagint  Version).     M  Enoch  17.  4.     M  Jer.  a.  13. 


172  JOHN,  4. 

"  I  see,  Sir,  that  you  are  a  Prophet !"  exclaimed  the  woman.     19 
"  It  was  on  this  mountain  that  our  ancestors  worshipped  ;     20 
and  yet  you  Jews  say  that  the  proper  place  for  worship  is  in 
Jerusalem." 

"Believe  me,"  replied  Jesus,   "a  time  is  coming  when  it     21 
will  be  neither  on  this  mountain  nor  in  Jerusalem  that  you 
will  worship  the  Father.     You  Samaritans  do  not  know  what     22 
you  worship  ;  we  know  what  we  worship,  for  Salvation  comes 
from  the  Jews.     But  a  time  is  coming,  indeed  it  is  already     23 
here,   when   the   true  worshippers  will  worship   the   Father 
spiritually  and  truly  ;  for  such  are  the  worshippers  that  the 
Father  desires.     God  is  Spirit ;   and  those  who  worship  him     24 
must  worship  spiritually  and  truly." 

"I  know,"  answered  the  woman,  "that  the  Messiah,  who     25 
is  called  the  Christ,  is  coming  ;  when  once  he  has  come,  he 
will  tell  us  everything." 

"  I  am  he,"  Jesus  said  to  her,  "  I  who  am  speaking  to  you."     26 

At  this  moment  his  disciples  came  up,  and  were  surprised     27 
to  find  him  talking  with  a  woman  ;  but  none  of  them  asked 
'  What  do  you  want  ?  '  or  '  Why  are  you  talking  with  her  ? ' 
So  the  woman,  leaving  her  pitcher,  went  back  to  the  town,     28 
and  said  to  the  people  : 

"Come  and  see  someone  who  has  told  me  everything  that    29 
I  have  done.     Can  he  be  the  Christ  ?  " 
And  the  people  left  the  town  and  went  to  see  Jesus.  30 

Meanwhile  the  disciples  kept  saying  to  him  :  31 

"Take  something  to  eat,  Rabbi." 

"I  have  food  to  eat,"  he  answered,  "of  which  you  know    32 
nothing." 

"Can  any  one  have  brought  him  anything  to  eat?"   the    33 
disciples  said  to  one  another. 

"My  food,"  replied  Jesus,  "is  to  do  the  will  of  him  who     34 
sent  me,  and  to  complete  his  work.     Do  not  you  say  that  it     35 
still  wants  four  months  to  harvest  ?     Why,  look  up,  and  see 
how  white  the  fields  are  for  harvest !     Already  the  reaper  is     36 
receiving  wages  and  gathering  in  sheaves  for  Immortal  Life, 
so   that   sower  and   reaper  rejoice  together.     For  here   the     37 
proverb   holds   good — 'One   sows,  another  reaps.'      I    have    38 
sent  you  to  reap  that  on  which  you  have  spent  no  labour ; 
others  have  laboured,  and  you  have  entered  upon  the  results  of 
their  labour." 

Many  from  that  town  came  to  believe  in  Jesus — Samaritans     39 
though  they  were — on  account  of  the  woman's  statement — 
'He  has  told  me  everything  that  I  have  done.'     And,  when     40 
these  Samaritans  had  come  to  Jesus,  they  begged  him  to  stay 
with  them,  and  he  stayed  there  two  days.     But  far  more  came    41 
to  believe  in  him  on  account  of  what  he  said  himself,   and     42 
they  said  to  the  woman  : 

"  It-is  no  longer  because  of  what  you  say  that  we  believe  in 


JOHN,  *--5.  173 

him,  for  we  have  heard  him  ourselves  and  know  that  he  really 
is  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 

After  these  two  days  Jesus  went  on  to  Galilee  ;    43 
an  officer**  f°r  he  himself  declared  that  '  a  Prophet  is  not     44 
son  in        honoured  in  his  own  country.'     When  he  entered     45 
Gahiee.      Galilee,  the  Galilaeans  welcomed  him,  for  they 
had  seen  all  that  he  did  at  Jerusalem  during  the  Festival, 
at  which  they  also  had  been  present. 

So  Jesus  came  again  to  Cana  in  Galilee,  where  he  had  turned     46 
the  water  into  wine.  Now  there  was  one  of  the  King's 

officers  whose  son  was  lying  ill  at  Capernaum.     When  this     47 
man  heard  that  Jesus  had  returned  from  Judaea  to  Galilee,  he 
went  to  him,  and  begged  him  to  come  down  and  cure  his  son  ; 
for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.     Jesus  answered  :  48 

"  Unless  you  all  see  signs  and  wonders,  you  will  not  believe." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  officer,  "come  down  before  my  child  dies."  49 
And  Jesus  answered  :  "Go,  your  son  is  living."  The  man  50 
believed  what  Jesus  said  to  him,  and  went ;  and,  while  he  was  51 
on  his  way  down,  his  servants  met  him,  and  told  him  that 
his  child  was  living.  So  he  asked  them  at  what  time  the  boy  52 
began  to  get  better. 

"  It  was  yesterday,  about  one  o'clock,"  they  said,  "  that  the 
fever  left  him." 

By  this  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  very  time  when     53 
Jesus  had  said  to  him  '  Your  son  is  living ' ;  and  he  himself, 
with  all  his  household,  believed  in  Jesus.  This  was     54 

the  second  occasion  on  which  Jesus  gave  a  sign  of  his  mission 
on  coming  from  Judaea  to  Galilee. 


Sometime  after  this  there  was  a  Jewish  Festival ;     i 
a'crippieTn  a°d  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  There  is     2 

Jerusalem  on  in  Jerusalem,  near  the  Sheep-gate,  a  Bath  with 
the  sabbath.  £ve  coionnacies  round  it.     It  is  called  in  Hebrew 
'Bethesda.'     In  these  colonnades  a  large  number  of  afflicted     3 
people  were  lying — blind,  lame,  and  crippled.     One  man  who     5 
was  there  had  been  afflicted  for  thirty-eight  years.     Jesus  saw     6 
the  man  lying  there,  and,  finding  that  he  had  been  in  this  state 
a  long  time,  said  to  him  : 

"  Do  you  wish  to  be  cured  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  one,  Sir,"  the  afflicted  man  answered,  "to  put    7 
me  into  the  Bath  when  there  is  a  troubling  of  the  water,  and, 
while  I  am  getting  to  it,  some  one  else  steps  down  before  me." 

"  Stand  up,  "said  Jesus,  "take  up  your  mat,  and  walkabout."  8 
The  man  was  cured  immediately,  and  took  up  his  mat  and  9 
began  to  walk  about. 


174  JOHN,  5. 

Now  it  was  the  Sabbath.     So  the  Jews  said  to  the  man  who     10 
had  been  cured  : 

"  This  is  the  Sabbath  ;  you  must  not  carry  your  mat." 

"  The  man  who  cured  me,"  he  answered,  "  said  to  me  'Take     n 
up  your  mat  and  walk  about.' " 

"  Who  was  it,"  they  asked,  "  that  said  to  you  '  Take  up  your     12 
mat  and  walk  about '  ?  " 

But  the  man  who  had  been  restored  did  not  know  who  it     13 
was  ;  for  Jesus  had  moved  away,  because  there  was  a  crowd 
there.  Afterwards  Jesus  found  the  man  in  the  Temple     14 

Courts,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  You  are  cured  now  ;  do  not  sin  again,  for  fear  that  some- 
thing worse  may  befall  you." 

The  man  went  away,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  who     15 
had  cured  him.     And  that  was  why  the  Jews  began  to  perse-     16 
cute  Jesus — because  he  did  things  of  this  kind  on  the  Sabbath. 
But  Jesus  replied  :  17 

"  My  Father  works  to  this  very  hour,  and  I 

Jesus  defends  i        t         j> 

his  Action     work  also." 

and  explains  This  made  the  Jews  all  the  more  eager  to  kill  him,     18 
hi*  Mission,  because  not  only  was  he  doing  away  with  the 
Sabbath,  but  he  actually  called  God  his  own  Father — putting 
himself  on  an  equality  with  God.  So  Jesus  made  this     19 

further  reply : 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,  the  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself;  he 
does  only  what  he  sees  the  Father  doing  ;  whatever  the  Father 
does,  the  Son  does  also.     For  the  Father  loves  his  Son,  and     20 
shows  him  everything  that  he  is  doing ;    and  he  will  show 
him  still  greater  things — so  that  you  will  be  filled  with  wonder. 
For,  just  as  the  Father  raises  the  dead  and  gives  them  Life,  so     21 
also  the  Son  gives  Life  to  whom  he  pleases.     The  Father  him-     22 
self  does  not  judge  any  man,  but  has  '  entrusted  the  work  of 
judging  entirely  to  his  Son,'  so  that  all  men  may  honour  the     23 
Son,  just  as  they  honour  the  Father.     He  who  does  not  honour 
the  Son  fails  to  honour  the  Father  who  sent  him.  In     24 

truth  I  tell  you  that  he  who  listens  to  my  Message  and  believes 
him  who  sent  me,  has  Immortal  Life,  and  does  not  come  under 
condemnation,  but  has  already  passed  out  of  Death  into  Life. 
In  truth  I  tell  you  that  a  time  is  coming,  indeed  it  is  already     25 
here,  when  the  Dead  will  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  when  those  who  listen  will  live.     For,  just  as  the  Father     26 
has  inherent  Life  within  him,  so  also  he  has  granted  to  the  Son 
to  have  inherent  Life  within  him  ;  and,  because  he  is  Son  of    27 
Man,  he  has  also  given  him  authority  to  act  as  judge.     Do  not     28 
wonder  at  this  ;  for  the  time  is  coming  when  all  who  are  in 
their  graves  will  hear  his  voice,  and  will  come  out — those     29 
who  have  done  good  rising  to  Life,  and  those  who  have  lived 
evil  lives  rising  for  condemnation.  I  can  do  nothing     30 

«-«  Enoch  69.  aj. 


JOHN,  5-6.  175 

of  myself;  I  judge  as  I  am  taught  ;  and  the  judgement  that 
I  give  is  just,  because  my  aim  is  not  to  do  my  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  him  who  sent  me. 

If  I  bear  testimony  to  myself,  my  testimony  is  not  trust-     31 
worthy  ;  it  is  another  who  bears  testimony  to  me,  and  I  know     32 
that  the  testimony  which  he  bears  to  me  is  trustworthy.     You     33 
have  yourselves  sent  to  John,  and  he  has  testified  to  the  Truth. 
But  the  testimony  which  I  receive  is  not  from  man  ;  I  am  say-     34 
ing  this  for  your  Salvation.     He  was  the  '  Lamp  that  was     35 
burning '  and  shining,  and  you  were  ready  to  rejoice,  for  a 
time,   in  his  light.      But  the  testimony  which   I  have  is  of    36 
greater  weight  than  John's  ;  for  the  work  that  the  Father  has 
given  me  to  carry  out — the  work  that  I  am  doing — is  in  itself 
proof  that  the  Father  has  sent  me  as  his  Messenger.     The     37 
Father  who  has  sent  me  has  himself  borne  testimony  to  me. 
You  have  neither  listened  to  his  voice,  nor  seen  his  form  ;  and     38 
you  have  not  taken  his  Message  home  to  your  hearts,  because 
you  do  not  believe  him  whom  he  sent  as  his  Messenger.     You     39 
search  the  Scriptures,  because  you  think  that  you  find  in  them 
Immortal  Life  ;  and,  though  it  is  those  very  Scriptures  that 
bear  testimony  to  me,  you  refuse  to  come  to  me  to   have     40 
Life.  I  do  not  receive  honour  from  men,  but  I  know    41, 

this  of  you,  that  you  have  not  the  love  of  God  in  your  hearts.     I     43 
have  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  you  do  not  receive  me  ;  if 
another  comes  in  his  own  name,  you  will  receive  him.      How     44 
can   you   believe  in  me,  when  you  receive  honour  from  one 
another  and  do  not  desire  the  honour  which  comes  from  the 
only  God  ?     Do  not  think  that    I    shall   accuse  you   to  the     45 
Father ;  your  accuser  is    Moses,    on  whom   you   have  been 
resting  your  hopes.     For,  had  you  believed  Moses,  you  would     46 
have  believed  me,  for  it  was  of  me  that  Moses  wrote  ;   but,  if    47 
you  do  not  believe  his  writings,   how  will  you  believe  my 
teaching  ?  " 


After  this,  Jesus  crossed  the  Sea  of  Galilee —     i 
«Jvee8tho^l*d  otherwise  called  the  Lake  of  Tiberias.     A  great     2 
by  the  Lake   crowd  of  people,  however,  followed  him,  because 
of -Gai i ieo.     thev  saw  tne  signs  of  his  mission  in  his  work 
among  those  who  were  afflicted.      Jesus  went  up  the  hill,     3 
and  sat  down  there  with  his  disciples.     It  was  near  the  time    4 
of  the  Jewish  Festival  of  the  Passover.      Looking  up,  and     5 
noticing  that  a  great  crowd  was  coming  towards  him,  Jesus 
said  to  Philip  : 

"  Where  are  we  to  buy  bread  for  these  people  to  eat?  " 
He  said  this  to  test  him,  for  he  himself  knew  what  he  meant    6 
to  do. 

85  Ecclesiasticus  48.  i. 


176  JOHN,  6. 

"  Twenty  pounds'  worth  of  bread,"  answered  Philip,  "  would  7 
pot  be  enough  for  each  of  them  to  have  a  little. " 

"  There  is  a  boy  here,"  said  Andrew,  another  of  his  disciples,  8 
Simon  Peter's  brother,  "who  has  five  barley  loaves  and  two  9 
fishes  ;  but  what  is  that  for  so  many  ?  " 

"  Make  the  people  sit  down,"  said  Jesus.  ic 

It  was  a  grassy  spot ;  so  the  men,  who  numbered  about  five 
thousand,  sat  down,  and  then  Jesus  took  the  loaves,  and,  after     11 
saying  the  thanksgiving,  distributed  them  to  those  who  were 
sitting  down  ;  and  the  same  with  the  fish,  giving  the  people  as 
much  as  they  wanted.     When  they  were  satisfied,  Jesus  said     12 
to  his  disciples  : 

"Collect  the  broken  pieces  that  are  left,  so  that  nothing 
may  be  wasted." 

The   disciples   did    so,    and    filled   twelve    baskets   with    the     n 
pieces  of  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  were  left  after  all  had 
eaten. 

When  the  people  saw  the  signs  which  Jesus  gave,  they  said  :     14 

"  This  is  certainly  '  the  Prophet  who  was  to  come '  into  the 
world." 

But  Jesus,  having  discovered  that  they  were  intending  to  come     it 
and  carry  him  off  to  make  him  King,  retired  again  up  the 
hill,  quite  alone. 

JCBUS  When  evening  fell,  his  disciples  went  down     it 

walks  on  the  to  the  Sea,  and,  getting  into  a  boat,  began  to     i't 

water.  cross  to  Capernaum.  By  this  time  darkness  had 
set  in,  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  back  to  them  ;  the  Sea,  li 
too,  was  getting  rough,  for  a  strong  wind  was  blowing. 
When  they  had  rowed  three  or  four  miles,  they  caught  sight 
of  him  walking  on  the  water  and  approaching  the  boat,  and 
they  were  frightened.  But  Jesus  said  to  them  : 

"  It  is  I  ;  do  not  be  afraid  ! " 

And  after  this  they  were  glad  to  take  him  into  the  boat ;  and 
the  boat  at  once  arrived  off  the  shore,  for  which  they  had  been 
making. 

Je.u.  The  people  who  remained  on  the  further  side 

teaches  at    of  the  Sea  had  seen  that  only  one  boat  had  been 

Capernaum,  there,  and  that  Jesus  had  not  got  into  it  with  his 

The  Bread  or  disciples,   but   that  they  had  left  without  him. 

Llf*-         Some  boats,  however,  had  come  from  Tiberias, 

from  near  the  spot  where  they  had  eaten  the  bread  after  the 

Master  had  said  the  thanksgiving.     So,  on  the  next  day,  when 

the  people  saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there,  or  his  disciples  either, 

they  themselves  got  into  the  boats,  and  went  to  Capernaum  to 

look  for  him.     And,  when  they  found  him  on  the  other  side  of 

the  Sea,  they  said  : 

"  When  did  you  get  here,  Rabbi  ?  " 

"  Deut.  1 8.  15;  Pi.  118.  26. 


JOHN,  6.  177 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "  it  is  not  on  account     26 
of  the  signs  which  you  saw  that  you  are  looking  for  me,  but 
because  you  had  the  bread  to  eat  and  were  satisfied.     Work,     27 
not  for  the   food    that   perishes,  but  for  the  food  that  lasts 
for  Immortal   Life,   which   the   Son   of  Man  will  give  you  ; 
for  upon  him  the  Father — God  himself — has  set  the  seal  of 
his  approval." 

"How,"  they  asked,   "are  we  to  do  the  work  that  God     28 
would  have  us  do  ?  " 

"  The  work  that  God  would  have  you  do,"  answered  Jesus,     29 
"is  to  believe  in  him  whom  God  sent  as  his  Messenger." 

"  What  sign,  then,"  they  asked,  "  are  you  giving,  which  we    30 
may  see,  and  so  believe  you  ?    What  is  the  work  that  you  are 
doing  ?     Our  ancestors  had  the  manna  to  eat  in  the  desert ;  as    31 
Scripture  says — 

'  He  gave  them  bread  from  Heaven  to  eat.' " 

"In  truth  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "Moses  did  not  give     32 
you  the  Bread  from  Heaven,  but  my  Father  does  give  you  the 
true  Bread  from  Heaven  ;  for  the  Bread  that  God  gives  is  that    33 
which  comes  down  from  Heaven,  and  gives  Life  to  the  world." 

"  Master,"  they  exclaimed,  "  give  us  that  Bread  always  ! "       34 

"I  am  the  Life-giving  Bread,"  Jesus  said  to  them;    "he     35 
that  comes  to  me  shall  never  be  hungry,  and  he  that  believes 
in  me  shall  never  thirst  again.     But,  as  I  have  said  already,     36 
you  have  seen  me,  and  yet  you  do  not  believe  in  me.  All     37 

those  whom  the  Father  gives  me  will  come  to  me  ;  and  no  one 
who  comes  to  me  will  I  ever  turn  away.     For  I  have  come  down     38 
from  Heaven,  to  do,  not  my  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  who 
sent  me  ;  and  his  will  is  this— that  I  should  not  lose  one  of  all     39 
those  whom  he  has  given  me,  but  should  raise  them  up  at  the 
Last  Day.     For  it  is  the  will  of  my  Father  that  every  one  who    40 
sees  the  Son,  and  believes  in  him,  should  have  Immortal  Life  ; 
and  I  myself  will  raise  him  up  at  the  Last  Day." 

Upon  this  the  Jews  began   murmuring  against  Jesus  for    41 
saying — '  I  am  the  Bread  which  came  down  from  Heaven.' 

"  Is  not  this  Jesus,  Joseph's  son,"  they  asked,  "  whose  father    42 
and  mother  we  know  ?     How  is  it  that  he  now  says  that  he 
has  come  down  from  Heaven  ?  " 

"  Do  not  murmur  among  yourselves,"  said  Jesus  in  reply.     43 
"  No  one  can  come  to  me,  unless  the   Father  who  sent  me    44 
draws  him  to  me  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  Last  Day. 
It  is  said  in  the  Prophets —  45 

'  And  they  shall  all  be  taught  by  God.' 

Every  one  who  is  taught  by  the  Father  and  learns  from  him 
comes  to  me.     Not  that  any  one  has  seen  the  Father,  except  him    46 

81  Exod.  16.  4,  15.    *"  Isa.  54.  13. 


178  JOHN,  6. 

who  is  from  God — he  has  seen  the  Father.  In  truth  I  tell  you, 
he  who  believes  in  me  has  Immortal  Life.  I  am  the  Life-giving 
Bread.  Your  ancestors  ate  the  manna  in  the  desert,  and 
yet  died.  The  Bread  that  comes  down  from  Heaven  is  such 
that  whoever  eats  of  it  will  never  die.  I  am  the  Living  Bread 
that  has  come  down  from  Heaven.  If  any  one  eats  of  this 
Bread,  he  will  live  for  ever ;  and  the  Bread  that  I  shall  give  is 
my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  Life  of  the  world." 

Upon  this  the  Jews  began  disputing  with  one  another  : 

"  How  is  it  possible  for  this  man  to  give  us  his  flesh  to 
eat  ?  " 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "  unless  you  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  his  blood,  you  have  not 
Life  within  you.  He  who  takes  my  flesh  for  liis  food,  and 
drinks  my  blood,  has  Immortal  Life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up 
at  the  Last  Day.  For  my  flesh  is  true  food,  and  my  blood  true 
drink.  He  who  takes  my  flesh  for  his  food,  and  drinks  my 
blood,  remains  united  to  me,  and  I  to  him.  As  the  Living 
Father  sent  me  as  his  Messenger,  and  as  I  live  because 
the  Father  lives,  so  he  who  takes  me  for  his  food  shall  live 
because  I  live.  That  is  the  Bread  which  has  come  down  from 
Heaven — not  such  as  your  ancestors  ate,  and  yet  died  ;  he 
who  takes  this  Bread  for  his  food  shall  live  for  ever." 
All  this  Jesus  said  in  a  Synagogue,  when  he  was  teaching  in 
Capernaum. 

On  hearing  it,  many  of  his  disciples  said  : 

"  This  is  harsh  doctrine  !     Who  can  bear  to  listen  to  it  ?  " 
But  Jesus,  aware  that  his  disciples  were  murmuring  about  it, 
said  to  them  : 

"  Is  this  a  hindrance  to  you?  What,  then,  if  you  should  see 
the  Son  of  Man  ascending  where  he  was  before?  It  is  the 
Spirit  that  gives  Life  ;  mere  flesh  is  of  no  avail.  In  the  teach- 
ing that  I  have  been  giving  you  there  is  Spirit  and  there  is 
Life.  Yet  there  are  some  of  you  who  do  not  believe  in  me." 
For  Jesus  knew  from  the  first  who  they  were  that  did  not 
believe  in  him,  and  who  it  was  that  would  betray  him  ;  and  he 
added  : 

"  This  is  why  I  told  you  that  no  one  can  come  to  me,  unless 
enabled  by  the  Father. 

After  this  many  of  his  disciples  drew  back,  and  did  not  go 
about  with  him   any  longer.  So  Jesus   said  to  the 

Twelve : 

"  Do  you  also  wish  to  leave  me  ?  " 

But  Simon  Peter  answered  :  "  Master,  to  whom  shall  we 
go?  Immortal  Life  is  in  your  teaching ;  and  we  have  learnt 
to  believe  and  to  know  that  you  are  the  Holy  One  of  God." 

"  Did  not  I  myself  choose  you  to  be  the  Twelve?"  replied 
Jesus ;  "and  yet,  even  of  you,  one  is  playing  the  '  Devil's'  part." 
»  P«.  16.  io.    W  Esther  7.  4.    . 


JOHN,  6-7.  179 

He  meant  Judas,  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot,  who  was  about  to    71 
betray  him,  though  he  was  one  of  the  Twelve. 


Jesus  and        After  this,  Jesus  went  about  in  Galilee,  for  he     i 
his          would  not  do  so  in  Judaea,  because  the  Jews 

Brothers.  were  eager  to  put  him  to  death.  When  the  2 
Jewish  Festival  of  Tabernacles  was  near,  his  brothers  said  to  3 
him: 

"Leave  this  part  of  the  country,  and  go  into  Judaea,  so 
that  your  disciples,  as  well  as  we,  may  see  the  work  that  you 
are  doing.     For  no  one  does  a  thing  privately,  if  he  is  seeking    4 
to  be  widely  known.     Since  you  do  these  things,  you  should 
show  yourself  publicly  to  the  world." 
For  even  his  brothers  did  not  believe  in  him.  5 

"My  time,"  answered  Jesus,  "is  not  come  yet,  but  your    6 
time  is  always  here.     The  world  cannot  hate  you,  but  it  does     7 
hate  me,  because  I  testify  that  its  ways  are  evil.    Go  yourselves     8 
up  to  the  Festival ;  I  am  not  going  to  this  Festival  yet,  because 
my  time  has  not  yet  come." 
After  telling  them  this,  he  stayed  on  in  Galilee.  9 

But,  when  his  brothers  had  gone  up  to  the  Festival,  Jesus     10 
also  went  up — not  publicly,  but  privately.      The  Jews  were     n 
looking  for  him  at  the  Festival  and  asking  'Where  is  he?';  and     12 
there  were  many  whispers  about  him  among  the  people,  some 
saying  '  He  is  a  good  man  ; '  others  :    '  No  !   he  is  leading 
the  people  astray.' 
No  one,  however,  spoke  freely  about  him,  for  fear  of  the  Jews.     13 

About  the  middle  of  the  Festival  week,  Jesus     14 
at  the  Festival   went  up  into   the  Temple  Courts,  and   began. 
of  Tabernacles  teaching.     The  Jews  were  astonished.  15 

in  Jerusalem.      "  How  has  this  man  got  his  learning,"  they 
asked,  "  when  he  has  never  studied  ?  " 
So,  in  reply,  Jesus  said  :  16 

"  My  teaching  is  not  my  own  ;  it  is  his  who  sent  me.      If    17 
any  one  has  the  will  to  do  God's  will,  he  will  find  out  whether 
my  teaching  is  from  God,  or  whether  I  speak  on  my  own 
authority.     The  man  who  speaks  on  his  own  authority  seeks     18 
honour  for  himself;  but  the  man  who  seeks  the  honour  of  him 
that  sent  him  is  sincere,  and  there  is  nothing  false  in  him. 
Was  not  it  Moses  who  gave  you  the  Law  ?    Yet  not  one  of  you     19 
obeys  it !     Why  are  you  seeking  to  put  me  to  death  ?  " 

' '  You  must  be  possessed  by  a  demon ! "  the  people  exclaimed.  20 
"  Who  is  seeking  to  put  you  to  death  ?  " 

"  There  was  one  thing  I  did,"  replied  Jesus,  "  at  which  you  21 
are  all  still  wondering.  But  that  is  why  Moses  has  instituted .  22 


180  JOHN,  7 

circumcision  among  you — not,  indeed,  that  it  began  with  him, 
but  with  our  ancestors — and  that  is  why  you  circumcise 
even  on  a  Sabbath.  When  a  man  receives  circumcision  on  a  23 
Sabbath  to  prevent  the  Law  of  Moses  from  being  broken,  how 
can  you  be  angry  with  me  for  making  a  man  sound  and  well 
on  a  Sabbath  ?  Do  not  judge  by  appearances  ;  judge  justly."  24 

At  this  some  of  the  people  of  Jerusalem  exclaimed  :  25 

"  Is  not  this  the  man  that  they  are  seeking  to  put  to  death  ? 
Yet  here  he  is,  speaking  out  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing  to     26 
him  !     Is  it  possible  that  our  leading  men  have  really  dis- 
covered that  he  is  the  Christ  ?     Yet  we  know  where  this  man     27 
is  from  f  but,  when  the  Christ  comes,  no  one  will  be  able  to  tell 
where  he  is  from." 

Therefore,  Jesus,  as  he  was  teaching  in  the  Temple  Courts,     28 
raised  his  voice  and  said  : 

"  Yes  ;  you  know  me,  and  you  know  where  I  am  from.     Yet 
I  have  not  come  on  my  own  authority,  but  he  who  sent  me  may 
be  trusted  ;  and  him  you  do  not  know.     I  do  know  him,  for  it  is     29 
from  him  that  I  have  come,  and  he  sent  me  as  his  Messenger." 
So  they  sought  to  arrest  him  ;  but  no  one  touched  him,  for  his     30 
time  was  not  come  yet.  Many  of  the  people,  however,     31 

believed  in  him. 

"When  the  Christ  comes,"  they  said,  "will  he  give  more 
signs  of  his  mission  than  this  man  has  given  ?  " 

The  Pharisees  heard  the  people  whispering  about  him  in  this     32 
way,  and  so  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Pharisees  sent  officers 
to  arrest  him  ;  on  which  Jesus  said  :  33 

"  I  shall  be  with  you  but  a  little  longer,  and  then  I  am  going 
to  him  who  sent  me.     You  will  look  for  me,  and  you  will  not     34 
find  me  ;  and  you  will  not  be  able  to  come  where  I  shall  be." 

"Where  is  this  man  going,"  the  Jews  asked  one  another,     35 
"  that  we  shall  not  find  him  ?     Will  he  go  to  our  countrymen 
abroad,  and  teach  foreigners  ?     What  does  he  mean  by  saying    36 
'  You  will  look  for  me,  and  you  will  not  find  me  ;  and  you 
will  not  be  able  to  come  where  I  shall  be  '  ?  " 

The 'Living       On  the  last  and  greatest  day  of  the  Festival,     37 
water.'       Jesus,  who  was  standing  by,  exclaimed  : 

"  If  any  one  thirsts,  let  him  come  to  me,  and  drink.     He     38 

who  believes  in  me As  Scripture  says,  Out  of  his  heart 

shall  flow  rivers  of  '  Living  Water.' " 

(By  this  he  meant  the  Spirit,  which  those  who  had  believed  in     39 
him  were  to  receive  ;  for  the  Spirit  had  not  yet  come,  because 
Jesus  had  not  yet  been  exalted.)  Some  of  the  people,     40 

when  they  heard  these  words,  said  : 

"  This  is  certainly  '  the  Prophet ' !  "  ;  others  said  :  "  This  is     41 
the  Christ ! "  ;  but  some  asked  : 

"  What !  does  the  Christ  come  from  Galilee  ?     Is  not  it  said     42 

«•  Jer.  a.  13  ;  Enoch  17,  4.    «  Deut.  18.  15.     «*  Pa.  a.  a.    «  P».  89.  3—4 ;  Mic.  5.  a. 


JOHN,  7—8.  181 

in  Scripture  that  it  is  of  the  race  of  David,  and  from  Bethlehem, 
the  village  to  which  David  belonged,  that  the  Christ  is  to 
come  ?  " 

So  there  was  a  sharp  division  among  the  people  en  account  of  43 
Jesus.  Some  of  them  wanted  to  arrest  him,  and  yet  no  one  44 
touched  him. 

When  the  officers  returned  to  the  Chief  Priests  and  Pharisees,  45 
they  were  asked  : 

"  Why  have  you  not  brought  him  ?  " 

"  No  man  ever  spoke  as  he  speaks  !  "  they  answered.  46 

"What!  have  you  been  led  astray  too?"  the  Pharisees  47 
replied.  "  Have  any  of  our  leading  men  believed  in  him,  or  48 
any  of  the  Pharisees  ?  As  for  these  people  who  do  not  know  49 
the  Law—  they  are  cursed  !  " 

But  one  of  their  number,  Nicodemus,  who  before  this  had  50 
been  to  see  Jesus,  said  to  them  : 

"Does  our  Law  pass  judgement  on  a  man  without  first  giving  51 
him  a  hearing,  and  finding  out  what  he  has  been  doing  ?  " 

"  Are  you  also  from  Galilee  ?"  they  retorted.  "  Search,  and  52 
you  will  find  that  no  Prophet  is  to  arise  in  Galilee  !  " 

The  'Light        Jesus  again  addressed  the  people.  *ia  ; 

of  "I  am  the  Light  of  the  World,"  he  said.        He 

the  world.1    w]lo  follows  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but 
shall  have  the  Light  of  Life." 

"You  are  bearing  testimony  to  yourself  !"  exclaimed  the  13 
Pharisees,  "your  testimony  is  not  trustworthy." 

"  Even  if  I  bear  testimony  to  myself,"  answered  Jesus,  "  my     14 
testimony  is  trustworthy  ;  for  I  know  where  I  came  from,  and 
where  I  am  going  ;  but  you  do  not  know  where  I  come  from,  nor 
where  I.  am  going.  You  judge  by  appearances  ;  I  judge  no  one.     15 
Yet,  even  if  I  were  to  judge,  my  judgement  would  be  trust-     16 
worthy  ;  because  I  am  not  alone,  but  the  Father  who  sent  me 
is  with  me.     Why,  in  your  own  Law  it  is  said  that  the  testi-     17 
mony  of  two  persons  is  trustworthy.      I,  who  bear  testimony     18 
to  myself,  am  one,  and  the  Father  who  sent  me  also  bears 
testimony  to  me." 

"Where  is  your  father,  then  ?  "  they  asked.  19 

"You  know  neither  me  nor  my  Father,"  replied  Jesus.     "  If 
you  had  known  me,  you  would  have  also  known  my  Father." 

These  statements  Jesus  made  in  the  Treasury,  while  teach-    20 
ing  in  the  Temple  Courts.     Yet  no  one  arrested  him,  for  his 
time  had  not  then  come. 


Je.us  defends       JeSUS  aS^n  sPoke  to  the  People.  21 

his  Mission  "I  am  going  away,"  he  said,  "and  you  will 
and  Authority.  ]ook  for  m6)  but  vou  wjn  die  in  your  sin  ;  you 
cannot  come  where  I  am  going." 

17  Deut.  17.  6.  *  (See  page  210). 


182  JOHN,  8. 

"  Is  he  going  to  kill  himself,"  the  Jews  exclaimed,  "  that  he     22 
says — '  You  cannot  go  where  I  am  going  '  ?  " 

"You,"  added  Jesus,  "are  from  below,  I  am  from  above  ;     23 
you  are  of  this  present  world,  I  am  not ;  and  so  I  told  you  that     24 
you  would  die  in  your  sins,  for,  unless  you  believe  that  I  am 
what  I  am,  you  will  die  in  your  sins." 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  asked.  25 

"Why  ask  exactly  what  I  have  been  telling  you?"  said 
Jesus.     "  I  have  still  much  that  concerns  you  to  speak  of  and     26 
to  pass  judgement  on  ;  yet  he  who  sent  me  may  be  trusted, 
and  I  speak  to  the  world  only  of  the  things  which  I  have  heard 
from  him." 

They  did  not  understand  that  he  meant  the  Father.     So  Jesus    27, 
added  : 

"When  you  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  Man,  then  you  will 
understand  that  I  am  what  I  am,  and  that  I  do  nothing  of 
myself,  but  that  I  say  just  what  the  Father  has  taught  me. 
Moreover,  he  who  sent  me  is  with  me  ;  he  has  not  left  me     29 
alone  ;  for  I  always  do  what  pleases  him. " 

While  he  was  speaking  in  this  way,  many  came  to  believe  in     30 
him. 

So  Jesus  went  on  to  say  to  those  Jews  who  had  believed  him  :     31 

"  If  you  remain  constant  to  my  Message,  you  are  truly  my 
disciples  ;  and  you  shall  find  out  the  Truth,  and  the  Truth  will     32 
set  you  free." 

"We  are  descendants  of  Abraham,"  was  their  answer,  "  and     33 
have  never  yet  been  in  slavery  to  any  one.     What  do  you  mean 
by  saying  '  you  will  be  set  free '  ?  " 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "every  one  who  sins  is  a     34 
slave  to  sin.     And  a  slave  does  not  remain  in  the  home  always  ;     35 
but  a  son  remains  always.     If,  then,  the  Son  sets  you  free,  you     36 
will  be  free  indeed  !      I  know  that  you  are  descendants  of    37 
Abraham  ;  yet  you  are  seeking  to  put  me  to  death,  because  my 
Message  finds  no  place  in  your  hearts.     I  tell  you  what  I     38 
have  myself  seen  in  the  presence  of  my  Father ;  and  you,  in 
the  same  way,  do  what  you  have  learnt  from  your  father." 

"  Our  father  is  Abraham,"  was  their  answer.  39 

"  If  you  are  Abraham's  children,"  replied  Jesus,  "do  what 
Abraham  did.     But,  as  it  is,  you  are  seeking  to  put  me  to    40 
death — a  man  who  has  told  you  the  Truth  as  he  heard  it  from 
God.     Abraham  did  not  act  in  that  way.     You  are  doing  what     41 
your  own  father  does. " 

"We  are  not  bastards,"  they  said,  "we  have  one  Father — 
God  himself." 

"  If  God  were  your  Father,"  Jesus  replied,  "you  would  have     42 
loved  me,  for  I  came  out  from  God,  and  now  am  here ;  and  I 
have  not  come  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me  as  his  Messenger. 
How  is  it  that  you  do  not  understand  what  I  say?    It  is  because     43 
you  cannot  bear  to  listen  to  my  Message.     As  for  you,  you  are    44 


JOHN,  8-9.  183 

children  of  your  father  the  Devil,  and  you  are  determined  to  do 
what  your  father  loves  to  do.     He  was  a  murderer  from  the 
first,  and  did  not  stand  by  the  truth,  because  there  is  no  truth 
in  him.     Whenever  he  lies,  he  does  what  is  natural  to  him  ; 
because  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of  lying.     But,  as  for  me,     45 
it  is  because  I  speak  the  truth  to  you  that  you  do  not  believe 
me.     Which  of  you  can  convict  me  of  sin  ?     Why  then  do  not    46 
you  believe  me,  if  I  am  speaking  truth  ?     He  who  comes  from    47 
God  listens  to  God's  teaching  ;  the  reason  why  you  do  not 
listen  is  because  you  do  not  come  from  God. " 

"Are  not  we  right,  after  all,"  replied  the  Jews,  "in  saying    48 
that  you  are  a  Samaritan,  and  are  possessed  by  a  demon  ?  " 

"I  am  not  possessed  by  a  demon,"  Jesus  answered,  "but    49 
I  am  showing  reverence  for  my  Father ;   and  yet  you  have 
no  reverence  for  me.     Not   that   I   am   seeking  honour  for    50 
myself;    there   is   one  who   is   seeking  my  honour,  and   he 
decides.  In   truth    I    tell  you,   if  any  one    lays    my    51 

Message  to  heart,  he  will  never  really  die." 

"  Now  we  are  sure  that  you  are  possessed  by  a  demon,"  the     52 
Jews  replied.     "Abraham  died,  and  so  did  the  Prophets  ;  and 
yet  you  say  '  If  any  one  lays  my  Message  to  heart,  he  will  never 
know  death.'     Are  you  greater  than  our  ancestor  Abraham,     53 
who  died  ?     And  the  Prophets  died  too.     Whom  do  you  make 
yourself  out  to  be  ?  " 

"  If  I  do  honour  to  myself,"  answered  Jesus,  "  such  honour    54 
counts  for  nothing.     It  is  my  Father  who  does  me  honour — 
and  you  say  that  he  is  your  God  ;  and  yet  you  have  not  learnt    55 
to  know  him  ;  but  I  know  him  ;  and,  if  I  were  to  say  that  I  do 
not  know  him,  I  should  be  a  liar  like  you  ;  but  I  do  know  him, 
and  I  lay  his  Message  to  heart.  Your  ancestor  Abraham  rejoiced     56 
that  he  would  see  my  day  ;  and  he  did  see  it,  and  was  glad. " 

"  You  are  not  fifty  years  old  yet,"  the  Jews  exclaimed,  "and     57 
have  you  seen  Abraham  ?  " 

"In  truth   I  tell  you/?  replied  Jesus,    "before  Abraham    58 
existed  I  was." 

At  this  they  took  up  stones  to  throw  at  him  ;  but  Jesus  hid  him-    59 
self,  and  left  the  Temple  Courts. 

Jesus  As  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  who  had     i 

cures  a.  Man  been  blind  from  his  birth. 

bom  blind.        «  Rabbi,"  asked  his  disciples,  "  who  was  it  that     2 
sinned,  this  man  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  ?  " 

"  Neither  the  man  nor  the  parents,"  replied  Jesus  ;  "  but  he     3 
was  born  blind  that  the  work  of  God  should  be  made  plain  in 
him.     We  must  do  the  work  of  him  who  sent  me,  while  it  is     4 
day  ;  night  is  coming,  when  no  one  can  work.     As  long  as  I     5 
am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world." 
Saying  this,  Jesus  spat  on  the  ground,  made  clay  with  the     6 
saliva,  and  put  it  on  the  man's  eyes. 


184  JOHN,  9. 

"  Go,"  he  said,  "  and  wash  your  eyes  in  the  Bath  of  Siloam  "     7 
(a  word  which  means  '  Messenger ').     So  the  man  went  and 
washed  his  eyes,  and  returned  able  to  see. 

Upon  this  his  neighbours,   and  those   who   had  formerly     8 
known  him  by  sight  as  a  beggar,  exclaimed  : 

"  Is  not  this  the  man  who  used  to  sit  and  beg  ?  " 

"Yes,"  some  said,  "  it  is  "  ;  while  others  said  :  "  No,  but  he    9 
is  like  him." 
The  man  himself  said  :  "I  am  he." 

"  How  did  you  get  your  sight,  then  ?  "  they  asked.  10 

"The  man  whom  they  call  Jesus,"  he  answered,  "made     n 
clay,  and  anointed  my  eyes,  and  said  to  me  '  Go  to  Siloam  arid 
wash  your  eyes.'      So  I  went  and  washed  my  eyes,  and  gained 
my  sight." 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  they  asked.  12 

"  I  do  not  know,"  he  answered. 

They  took  the  man,  who  had  been  blind,  to  the  Pharisees.  13 
Now  it  was  a  Sabbath  when  Jesus  made  the  clay  and  gave  14 
him  his  sight.  So  the  Pharisees  also  questioned  the  man  as  15 
to  how  he  had  gained  his  sight. 

"  He  put  clay  on  my  eyes,"  he  answered,   "and  I  washed 
them,  and  I  can  see." 

' '  The  man  cannot  be  from  God, "  said  some  of  the  Pharisees,  16 
"  for  he  does  not  keep  the  Sabbath." 

"  How  is  it  possible,"  retorted  others,  "  for  a  bad  man  to  give 
signs  like  this  ?  " 

So  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  among  them,  and  they     17 
again  questioned  the  man  : 

"  What  do  you  yourself  say  about  him,  for  it  is  to  you  that  he 
has  given  sight  ? 

"  He  is  a  Prophet,"  the  man  replied. 

The  Jews,  however,  refused  to  believe  that  he  had  been     18 
blind  and  had  gained  his  sight^^|^^hey  had  called  his  parents 
and  questioned  them.  ^^^BBk. 

"  Is  this  your  son,"  they  asker^H^io ;, you  say  was  born  19 
blind  ?  If  so,  how  is  it  that  he  can  see  now  ?  " 

"We  know  that  this  is  our  son,"  answered  the  parents,     20 
"and  that  he  was  born  Wind  ;  but  how  it  is  that  he  can  see     21 
now  we  do  not  know  ;  nor  do  we  know  who  it  was  that  gave 
him  his  sight.      Ask  him — he  is  old  enough — he  will  tell  you 
about  himself." 

His  parents  spoke  in  this  way  because  they  were  afraid  of  the     22 
Jews  ;  for  the  Jews  had  already  agreed  that,  if  any  one  should 
acknowledge  Jesus  as  the  Chnst,  he  should  be  expelled  from 
their  synagogues.     This  was  why  his  parents  said  '  He  is  old     23 
enough  ;  ask  him.'  So  the  Jews  again  called  the  man     24 

who  had  been  blind,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Give  God  the  praise  ;  we  know  that  this  is  a  bad  man." 

"  I  know  nothing  about  his  being  a  bad  man,"  he  replied  ;     25 


JOHN,  9—10.  185 

"one  thing  I  do  know,  that  although  I  was  blind,  now  I  can 
see. " 

"  What  did  he  do  to  you  ?  "  they  asked.  "  How  did  he  give  26 
you  your  sight  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  just  now,"  he  answered,  "and  you  did  not  listen.     27 
Why  do  you  want  to  hear  it  again  ?     Surely  you  also  do  not 
want  to  become  his  disciples  ?  " 

"You  are  his  disciple,"  they  retorted  scornfully;  "but  we  28 
are  disciples  of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  spoke  to  Moses  ;  29 
but,  as  for  this  man,  we  do  not  know  where  he  comes  from." 

"  Well,"  the  man  replied,  "  this  is  very  strange  ;  you  do  not     30 
know  where  he  comes  from,  and  yet  he  has  given  me  my  sight ! 
We  know  that  God  never  listens  to  bad  men,  but,  when  a  man     31 
is  god-fearing  and  does  God's  will,  God  listens  to  him.      Since     32 
the  world  began,  such  a  thing  was  never  heard  of  as  any  one's 
giving  sight  to  a  person  born  blind.     If  this  man  had  not  been     33 
from  God,  he  could  not  have  done  anything  at  all." 

"  You,"  they  retorted,  "  were  born  totally  depraved  ;  and  are     34 
you  trying  to  teach  us  ?  " 
So  they  expelled  him. 

Jesus  heard  of  their  having  put  him  out ;  and,  when  he  had  35 
found  the  man,  he  asked  : 

"  Do  you  believe  in  the  Son  of  Man  ?  " 

"  Tell  me  who  he  is,  Sir,"  he  replied,  "  so  that  I  may  believe  36 
in  him." 

' '  Not  only  have  you  seen  him, "  said  Jesus  ;  ' '  but  it  is  he  who  37 
is  now  speaking  to  you." 

"Then,  Sir,  I  do  believe,"  said  the  man,  bowing  to  the  38 
ground  before  him  ;  and  Jesus  added  :  39 

"  It  was  to  put  men  to  the  test  that  I  came  into  this  world, 
in  order  that  those  that  cannot  see  should  see,  and  that  those 
that  can  see  should  become  blind." 
Hearing  this,  some  of  the  Pharisees  who  were  with  him  said  :     40 

"  Then  are  we  blind  too  ?  " 

"If  you  had  been  blind,"  replied  Jesus,  "you  would  have     41 
had  no  sin  to  answer  for  ;  but,  as  it  is,  you  say  '  We  can  see,' 
and  so  your  sin  remains. 

The 'Good         1°  truth  I  tell  you,  whoever  does  not  go  into     i 

shepherd.1    the  sheepfold  through  the  door,  but  climbs  up  at 
some  other  place,  that  man  is  a  thief  and  a  robber  ;    but     2 
the  man  who  goes  in  through  the  door  is  shepherd  to  the 
sheep.     For  him  the  watchman  opens  the  door  ;  and  the  sheep     3 
listen  to  his  voice  ;  and  he  calls  his  own  sheep  by  name,  and 
leads  them  out.     When  he  has  brought  them  all  out,  he  walks     4 
in  front  of  them,  and  his  sheep  follow  him,  because  they  know 
his  voice.     They  will  not  follow  a  stranger,  but  will  run  away     5 
from  him  ;  because  they  do  not  know  a  stranger's  voice." 

This  was  the  allegory  that  Jesus  told  them,  but  they  did  not    6 
understand  of  what  he  was  speaking. 


186  JOHN,  10. 

So  he  continued  : 

"  In  truth  I  tell  you,  I  am  the  Door  for  the  sheep.  All  who 
came  before  me  were  thieves  and  robbers  ;  but  the  sheep  did  not 
listen  to  them.  I  am  the  Door ;  he  who  goes  in  through  me  will 
be  safe,  and  he  will  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture.  The  thief 
comes  only  to  steal,  to  kill,  and  to  destroy ;  I  have  come  that  they 
may  have  Life,  and  may  have  it  in  greater  fulness.  I 

am  the  Good  Shepherd.  The  Good  Shepherd  lays  down  his 
life  for  his  sheep.  The  hired  man  who  is  not  a  shepherd,  and 
who  does  not  own  the  sheep,  when  he  sees  a  wolf  coming, 
leaves  them  and  runs  away  ;  then  the  wolf  seizes  them,  and 
scatters  the  flock.  He  does  this  because  he  is  only  a  hired 
man  and  does  not  care  about  the  sheep.  I  am  the  Good 
Shepherd ;  and  I  know  my  sheep,  and  my  sheep  know 
me — just  as  the  Father  knows  me  and  I  know  the  Father — 
and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  I  have  other  sheep 
besides,  which  do  not  belong  to  this  fold  ;  I  must  lead  them 
also,  and  they  will  listen  to  my  voice  ;  and  they  shall  become 
one  flock  under  '  one  Shepherd.'  This  is  why  the  Father  loves 
me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life — to  receive  it  again.  Np 
one  took  it  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I  have 
authority  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  authority  to  receive  it 
again.  This  is  the  command  which  I  received  from  my 
Father." 

In  consequence  of  these  words  a  difference  of  opinion  agai-n 
arose  among  the  Jews.  Many  of  them  said :  "  He  is  possessed 
by  a  demon  and  is  mad  ;  why  do  you  listen  to  him  ?  "  Others 
'said :  "  This  is  not  the  teaching  of  one  who  is  possessed  by  a 
demon.  Can  a  demon  give  sight  to  the  blind  ?  " 


josua  at  tho       Soon  after  this  the  Festival  of  the  Re-dedication 
Re-dedication  was  held  at  Jerusalem.     It  was  winter;  and  Jesus 

Festival.  was  Walking  in  the  Temple  Courts,  in  the  Colon- 
nade of  Solomon,  when  the  Jews  gathered  round  him,  and  said : 

"  How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  us  in  suspense?  If  you 
are  the  Christ,  tell  us  so  frankly." 

"  I  have  told  you  so,"  replied  Jesus,  "  and  you  do  not  believe 
me.  The  work  that  I  am  doing  in  my  Father's  name  bears 
testimony  to  me.  But  you  do  not  believe  me,  because  you  are 
not  of  my  flock.  My  sheep  listen  to  my  voice  ;  I  know  them, 
and  they  follow  me;  and  I  give  them  Immortal  Life,  and  they 
shall  not  be  lost ;  nor  shall  anyone  snatch  them  out  of  my  hands. 
What  my  Father  has  entrusted  to  me  is  more  than  all  else  ; 
and  no  one  can  snatch  anything  out  of  the  Father's  hands. 
The  Father  and  I  are  one. 

The  Jews  again  brought  stones  to  throw  at  him  ;  and  seeing 
this,  Jesus  said  : 

8  Ps.  1 18.  a6.     *«  Ezek.  34.  33.     »  ,  Mace.  4.  59. 


JOHN,  10—11.  187 

"  I  have  done  before  your  eyes  many  good  actions,  inspired 
by  the  Father  ;  for  which  of  them  would  you  stone  me  ?  " 

"It  is  not  for  any  good  action  that  we  would  stone  you,"     33 
answered  the  Jews,  "  but  for  blasphemy  ;  and  because  you,  who 
are  only  a  man,  make  yourself  out  to  be  God. " 

"  Are  there  not,"  replied  Jesus,  "  these  words  in  your  Law —     34 
'I  said  "  Ye  are  gods  " '  ? 

If  those  to  whom  God's  words  were  addressed  were  said  to  be     35 
'  gods  ' — and  Scripture  cannot  be  set  aside — do  you  say  of  one     36 
whom  the  Father  has  consecrated  and  sent  as  his  Messenger  to 
the  world  '  You  are  blaspheming,'  because  I  said  '  I  am  God's 
Son  '?     If  I  am  not  doing  the  work  that  my  Father  is  doing,     37 
do  not  believe  me  ;  but,  if  I  am  doing  it,  even  though  you  do     38 
not  believe  me,  believe  what  that  work  shows  ;  so  that  you  may 
understand,  and  understand  more  and  more  clearly,  that  the 
Father  is  in  union  with  me,  and  I  with  the  Father." 
Upon  this  the  Jews  again  sought  to  arrest  him  ;  but  he  escaped     39 
their  hands. 

Jesus  retires      Then  Jesus  again  crossed  the  Jordan  to  the     40 
beyond  the    place  where  John  used  to  baptize  at  first,  and 

Jordan.       stayed    there   some    time,    during   which   many     41 
people  came  to  see  him. 

"John  gave  no  sign  of  his  mission,"  they  said  ;  "but  every- 
thing that  he  said  about  this  man  was  true." 
And  many  learnt  to  believe  in  Jesus  there.  42 

Now  a  man  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  was     i    \; 
Lfuaru^t'  to*  b~ml?  ^'  !    ne  belonged  to  the  same  village  as 
Life  at        Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.     This  Mary,  whose     2 

Bethany,     brother    Lazarus   was   ill,    was   the    Mary  who 
anointed  the  Master  with  perfume,  and  wiped  his  feet  with 
her  hair.      The  sisters,  therefore,  sent  this  message  to  Jesus     3 
— '  Master,  your  friend  is  ill ' ;  and,  when  Jesus  heard  it,  he     4 
said  : 

'  This  illness  is  not  to  end  in  death,  but  is  to  redound  to  the 
honour  of  God,  in  order  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be  honoured 
through  it." 

Jesus    loved    Martha    and    her    sister,    and    Lazarus.      Yet,     5,  6 
when  he   heard   of  the    illness   of  Lazarus,    he   still    stayed 
two  days  in  the  place  where  he  was.     Then,  after  that,  he  said     7 
to  his  disciples  : 

"  Let  us  go  to  Judaea  again." 

"  Rabbi,"  they  replied,  "  the  Jews  were  but  just  now  seeking     8 
to  stone  you  ;  and  are  you  going  there  again  ?  " 

"Are  not  there  twelve  hours  in  the  day?"  answered  Jesus.     9 
"  If  a  man  walks  about  in  the  day-time,  he  does  not  stumble, 

*»  Ps.  82.  6. 


188  JOHN,  11. 

because  he  can  see  the  light  of  the  sun  ;  but,  if  he  walks  about     to 

at  night,  he  stumbles,  because  he  has  not  the  light." 

And,  when  he  had  said  this,  he  added  :  n 

"  Our  friend  Lazarus  has  fallen  asleep  ;  but  I  am  going  that 
I  may  wake  him. " 

"If  he  has  fallen  asleep,  Master,  he  will  get  well,"  said  the  12 
disciples. 

But  Jesus  meant  that  he  was  dead  ;  they,  however,  supposed  13 
that  he  was  speaking  of  natural  sleep.  Then  he  said  to  them  14 
plainly : 

"  Lazarus  is  dead  ;  and  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was     15 
not  there,  so  that  you  may  learn  to  believe  in  me.     But  let  us 
go  to  him." 

At  this,  Thomas,  who  was  called  'The  Twin,'  said  to  his  16 
fellow-disciples : 

"  Let  us  go  too,  so  that  we  may  die  with  him." 

When  Jesus  reached  the  place,  he  found  that  Lazarus  had  17 
been  four  days  in  the  tomb  already.  Bethany  being  only  about  18 
two  miles  from  Jerusalem,  a  number  of  the  Jews  had  come  19 
there  to  condole  with  Martha  and  Mary  on  their  brother's 
death.  When  Martha  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  she  went  20 
to  meet  him  ;  but  Mary  sat  quietly  at  home. 

"  Master,"  Martha  said  to  Jesus,  "  if  you  had  been  here,  my  21 
brother  would  not  have  died.  Even  now,  I  know  that  God  22 
will  grant  you  whatever  you  ask  him." 

"  Your  brother  shall  rise  to  life,"  said  Jesus.  23 

"  I  know  that  he  will,"  replied  Martha,  "  in  the  resurrection  24 
at  the  Last  Day." 

"I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,"  said  Jesus.     "He     25 
that  believes  in  me  shall  live,  though  he  die  ;   and  he  who     26 
lives   and  believes  in  me  shall  never  die.      Do  you  believe 
this?  ' 

'•  Ves    Master,"  she  answered  ;    "I  have  learnt  to  believe    27 
that  you  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  'who  was  to  come' 
into  the  world." 

After  saying  this,  Martha  went  and  called  her  sister  Mary,  28 
and  whispered  : 

"  The  Teacher  is  here,  and  is  asking  for  you." 
As  soon  as  Mary  heard  that,  she  got  up  quickly,  and  went  to    29 
meet  him.     Jesus  had  not  then  come  into  the  village,  but  was    30 
still  at  the  place  where  Martha  nad  met  him.     So  the  Jews,  who    31 
were  in  the  house  with  Mary,  condoling  with  her,  when  they 
saw  her  get  up  quickly  and  go  out,  followed  her,  thinking  that 
she  was  going  to  the  tomb  ki  weep  there.     When  Mary  came     32 
where  Jesus  was  and  saw  him,  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet. 

"Master,"  she  exclaimed,    "if  you   had    been   here,   my 
.brother  would  not  have  died  ! " 
When  Jesus  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  who  had  come    33 

«7Ps.  118.  a6. 


JOHN,  11.  189 

with  her  weeping  also,  he  groaned  deeply,  and  was  greatly 
distressed. 

"  Where  have  you  buried  him  ?  "  he  asked.  34 

"Come  and  see,  Master,"  they  answered. 

Jesus  burst  into  tears.  35 

"How  he  must  have  loved  him!"  the  Jews  exclaimed;    36 

but  some  of  them  said  :  37 

"  Could  not  this  man,  who  gave  sight  to  the  blind  man,  have 
also  prevented  Lazarus  from  dying  ?  " 

Again  groaning  inwardly,  Jesus  came  to  the  tomb.     It  was     38 
a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  against  the  mouth  of  it. 

"  Move  the  stone  away,"  said  Jesus.  39 

"  Master,"  said  Martha,  the  sister  of  the  dead  man,  "  by  this 
time  the  smell  must  be  offensive,  for  this  is  the  fourth  day 
since  his  death." 

"Did  not  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,   "that,  if  you  would     40 
believe  in  me,  you  should  see  the  glory  of  God  ?  " 
So  they  moved  the  stone  away  ;  and  Jesus,  with  uplifted  eyes,     41 
said  : 

"  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard 
my  prayer  ;  I  knew  that  thou  always  hearest  42 

me  ;  but  I  say  this  for  the  sake  of  the  people 
standing  near,  so  that  they  may  believe  that 
thou  hast  sent  me  as  thy  Messenger." 

Then,  after  saying  this,  Jesus  called  in  a  loud  voice  :  43 

"  Lazarus  !  come  out !  " 

The  dead  man  came  out,  wrapped  hand  and  foot  in  a  winding-    44 
sheet ;  his  face,  too,  had  been  wrapped  in  a  cloth. 

"  Set  him  free,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  let  him  go." 

In  consequence  of  this,  many  of  the  Jews,  who  had  come  to    45 
visit  Mar)'  and  had  seen  what  Jesus  did,  learnt  to  believe  in 
him.     Some  of  them,  however,  went  to  the  Pharisees,  and     46 
told  them  what  he  had  done. 

Upon  this  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Pharisees    47 
Ohief  Priest*  called  a  meeting  of  the  High  Council,  and  said  : 
plot  the  Death       "What  are  we  to  do,  now   that  this  man  is 

or  Jesus,      giving  so  many  signs  ?     If  we  let  him  alone  as  we     48 
are  doing,  every  one  will  believe  in  him  ;  and  the  Romans  will 
come  and  will  take  from  us  both  our  City  and  our  Nationality." 
One    of    them,   however,    Caiaphas,  who  was    High    Priest    49 
that  year,  said  to  them  : 

"You  are  utterly  mistaken.      You  do  not  consider  that  it     50 
is  better  for  you  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people,  rather 
than  that  the  whole  nation  should  be  destroyed." 
Now  he  did  not  say  this  of  his  own  accord ;  but,  as  High  Priest     51 

48  Dan.  n.  30  (Septuagint  Version). 


190  JOHN,  11—12. 

that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus  was  to  die  for  the  nation — 
and  not   for  the  nation  only,   but  also  that  he  might  unite     52 
in   one  body   the   Children   of   God    now   scattered   far  and 
wide.  So  from  that  day  they  plotted  to  put  Jesus  to     53 

death. 

Jesus  ^n  consequence  of  this,  Jesus  did  not  go  about     54 

retires  to     publicly  among  the  Jews  any  more,  but  left  that 
Ephraim.     neighbourhood,  and  went  into  the  country  bor- 
dering on  the  Wilderness,  to  a  town  called  Ephraim,  where 
he  stayed  with  his  disciples.  But  the  Jewish  Festival     55 

of  the   Passover  was  near  ;    and  many  people  had  gone  up 
from  the  country  to  Jerusalem, .for  their  '  purification,'  before 
the  Festival  began.      So  they  looked^  for  Jesus  there,  and  said     56 
to  one  another,  as  they  stood  in  the  Temple  Courts  : 

"What  do  you  think?     Do  you  think  he  will  come  to  the 
Festival  ?  " 

The  Chief  Priests  and  the  Pharisees  had  already  issued  orders     57 
that,  if  any  one  learnt  where  Jesus  was,  he  should  give  informa- 
tion, so  that  they  might  arrest  him. 


III.— THE  LAST  DAYS. 

Six  days  before  the  Passover  Jesus  came  to     i 
anointed  by  Bethany,  where  Lazarus,  whom    he  had  raised 

wary        from  the  dead,  was  living.     There  a  supper  was     2 
at  Bethany.  given  \n  \i\s  honour,  at  which  Martha  waited, 
while  Lazarus  was  one  of  those  present  at  the  table.    So  Mary     3 
took  a  pound  of  choice  spikenard  perfume  of  great  value,  and 
anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus  with  it,  and  then  wiped  them  with 
her  hair.     The  whole  house  was  filled  with  the  scent  of  the 
perfume.     One  of  the  disciples,  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was  about    4 
to  betray  Jesus,  asked  : 

"Why  was  not  this  perfume  sold  for  thirty  pounds,  and  the    5 
money  given  to  poor  people  ?  " 

He  said  this,  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor,  but  because    6 
he  was  a  thief,  and,  being  in  charge  of  the  purse,  used  to  take 
what  was  put  in  it. 

"Let    her    alone,"    said   Jesus,    "that  she   may  keep    it    7 
till  the  day  when  .my  body  is  being  prepared  for  burial.     The     8 
poor  you  always  have  with  you,  but  you  will  not  always  have 
me." 

Now  great  numbers  of  the  Jews  found  out  that  Jesus  was  at    9 
Bethany  ;  and  they  came  there,  not  solely  on  his  account,  but 
also  to  see  Lazarus,  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead.    The     10 
Chief  Priests,  however,  plotted  to  put  Lazarus,  as  well  as  Jesus, 
to  death,  because  it  was  owing  to  him  that  many  of  the  Jews     n 
had  left  them,  and  were  becoming  believers  in  Jesus. 


JOHN,  12.  191 

On  the  following  day  great  numbers  of  people     12 
Je8U'n^8licly  who  had  come  to  the  Festival,  hearing  that  Jesus 
Jerusalem  for  was  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  took  palm-branches,     13 
the  Last  Time.  ancj  went  out  to  meet  him,  shouting  as  they  went: 

"  '  God  save  Him  ! 

Blessed  is  He  who  Comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ' — 
The  King  of  Israel !  " 

Having  found  a   young  ass,  Jesus   seated  himself  on  it,  in     14 
accordance  with  the  passage  of  Scripture—1 

'  Fear  not,  Daughter  of  Zion  ;  15 

Behold,  thy  King  is  coming  to  thee, 
Sitting  on  the  foal  of  an  ass.' 

His  disciples  did  not  understand  all  this  at  first ;  but,  when     16 
Jesus   had    been  exalted,  then    they  remembered   that  these 
things  had  been  said  of  him  in  Scripture,  and  that  they  had 
done  these  things  for  him.  Meanwhile  the  people  who     17 

were  with  him,  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb  and 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  .were  telling  what  they  had  seen. 
This,  indeed,  was  why  the  crowd  met  him — because  people  had     18 
heard  that  he  had  given  this  sign  of  his  mission.      So  the     19 
Pharisees  said  to  one  another  : 

"  You  see  that  you  are  gaining  nothing  !     Why,  all  the  world 
has  run  after  him  !  " 

Jesus  closes       Among  those  who  were  going  up  to  worship  at     20 
his  public     the  Festival    were    some    Greeks,  who  went  to     21 
Ministry.      Philip  of  Bethsaida  in  Galilee,  and  said  : 
"  Sir,  we  wish  to  see  Jesus." 

Philip  went  and  told  Andrew,  and  then  together  they  went     22 
and  told  Jesus.     This  was  his  reply —  23 

"The  time  has  come  for  the  Son  of  Man  to  be  exalted.     In     24 
truth  1  tell  you,  unless  a  grain  of  wheat  falls  into  the  ground 
and  dies,  it  remains  solitary  ;  but,  if  it  dies,  it  becomes  fruitful. 
He   who   loves   his   lite    loses   it  ;    while  he    who   hates   his     25 
life    in    the   present   world    shall    preserve    it    for    Immortal 
Life.     If  a  man  is  ready  to  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and     26 
where  I  am,  there  my  servant  shall  be  also.     If  a  man  is  ready  to 
serve  me,  my  Father  will  honour  him.     Now  1  am  distressed     27 
at  heart  and  what  can  I  say  ?     Father,  bring  me  safe  through 
this  hour — yet  it  was  for  this  very  reason  that  I  came  to  this 
hour — Father,  honour  thine  own  name."  28 

At  this  there  came  a  voice  from  Heaven,  which  said  : 

"  I  have  already  honoured  it,  and  I  will  honour  it  again." 
The  crowd  of  bystanders,  who  heard  the  sound,   said  that     29 
it  was  thundering. 
Others  said:  "An  angel  has  been  speaking  to  him." 

13  PS.  1 1 8.  25,  26.     14-15  Zech.  9.  9.     27  Ps.  42.  0, 


192  JOHN,  12. 

"  It  was  not  for  my  sake  that  the  voice  came,"  said  Jesus,     30 
"  but  for  yours.    Now  this  world  is  on  its  trial.    Now  the  Spirit     31 
that  is  ruling  this  world  shall  be  driven  out ;  and  I,  when     32 
I  am  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  shall  draw  all  men  to  myself." 
By  these  words  he  indicated  what  death  he  was  destined  to  die.     33 

"  We,"  replied  the  people,  "  have  learnt  from  the  Law  that     34 
the  'Christ  is  to  remain  for  ever';  how  is  it,  then,  that  you 
say  that  the  Son  of  Man  must  be  '  lifted  up '  ?     Who  is  this 
'  Son  of  Man  '  ?  "  . 

"Only    a    little    while    longer,"    answered    Jesus,     "will     35 
you  have  the  Light  among  you.     Travel  on  while  you  have 
the   Light,    so    that    darkness    may    not  overtake   you ;    he 
who  travels  in  the  darkness  does  not  know  where  he  is  going. 
While  you  still  have  the  Light,  believe  in  the  Light,  that  you     36 
may  be  '  Sons  of  Light.'  " 

After  he  had  said  this,  Jesus  went  away,  and  hid  himself  from 
them.  But,  though  Jesus  had  given  so  many  signs  of    37 

his  mission  before  their  eyes,  they  still  did  not  believe  in  him, 
in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of  the  Prophet   Isaiah,  where  he     38 
says — 

'  Lord,  who  has  believed  our  teaching? 
And  to  whom  has  the  might  of  the  Lord  been  revealed  ? ' 

The  reason  why  they  were  unable  to  believe  is  given  by  Isaiah     39 
elsewhere,  in  these  words — 

'  He  has  blinded  their  eyes,  and  blunted  their  mind,  40 

So  that  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  and  perceive  with 
their  mind,  and  turn — 

And  I  should  heal  them.' 

Isaiah  said  this,  because  he  saw  Christ's  glory  ;  and  it  was  of    41 
him  that  he  spoke.  Yet  for  all  this,  even  among  the     42 

leading  men   there  were  many  who  came  to  believe  in  Jesus  ; 
but,  on  account  of  the  Pharisees,  they  did  not  acknowledge  it, 
for  fear  that  they  should  be  expelled  from  their  Synagogues  ;  for    43 
they  valued  honour  from  men  more  than  honour  from  God. 

But  Jesus  had  proclaimed  :  44 

".He  who  believes  in  me  believes,  not  in  me,  but  in  him  who 
sent  me  ;  and  he  who  sees  me  sees  him  who  sent  me.     I  have     45, 
come  as  a  Light  into  the  world,  that  no  one  who  believes  in  me 
should  remain  in  the  darkness.    When  any  one  hears  my  teach-     47 
ing^  and  pays  no  heed  to  it,  I  am  not  his  judge  ;  for  I  came  not 
to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.     He  who  rejects  me,     48 
and  disregards  my  teaching,  has  a  judge  already — the  very 
Message  which  I   have  delivered  will   itself  be  his  judge  at 
the    Last   Day.       For   I  have   not   delivered   it   on   my  own     49 
authority  ;    but  the  Father,  who  sent  me,  has  himself  given 
me  his  command  as  to  what  I  should  say,  and  what  message 

•*  Isa.  9.  7  (Aramaic  Version).    *•  Enoch  108.  n.    88  ISA.  53.  i.    *>  Isa.  6.  10. 
«  Isa.  6. 1—3. 


JOHN,  12—13.  193 

I  should  deliver.     And  I  know  that  Immortal  Life  lies  in  keep-     50 
ing  his  command.     Therefore,  whatever  I  say,  I  say  only  what 
the  Father  has  taught  me." 


Jesus  washes       Before  the  Passover  Festival  began,  Jesus  knew     i    j 
the  Disciples'  that  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  leave  the  world 
Feet.         an(j  g0  t0  the  Father.     He  had  loved  those  who 
were    his   own    in   the   world,    and    he    loved   them   to   the 
last.  The  Devil  had  already  put  the  thought  of  betray-     2 

ing  Jesus  into  the  mind  of  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon  ; 
and  at  supper,  Jesus — although  knowing  that  the  Father  had     3 
put  everything  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  had  come  from  God, 
and  was  to  return  to  God — rose  from  his  place,  and,  taking    4 
off  his  upper  garments,  tied  a  towel  round  his  waist.     He     5 
then  poured  some  water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  which 
was  tied  round  him.     When  he  came  to  Simon  Peter,  Peter    6 
said  : 

"You,  Master  !    Are  you  going  to  wash  my  feet  ?  " 
"You  do  not  understand  now  what  I  am  doing,"  replied     7 
Jesus,  "  but  you  will  learn  by  and  by." 

"  You  shall  never  wash  my  feet  !  "  exclaimed  Peter.  8 

"Unless  I  wash  you,"  answered  Jesus,  "you  have  nothing 
in  common  with  me." 

"Then,  Master,  not  my  feet  only,"  exclaimed  Simon  Peter,     9 
"  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head." 

"He   who  has  bathed,"   replied  Jesus,   "has   no  need  to     10 
wash,  unless  it  be  his    feet,   but    is    altogether   clean ;    and 
you,"   he   said   to   the   disciples,   "are  clean,  yet  not  all  of 
you."     For  he  knew  who  was  going  to  betray  him,  and  that     u 
was  why  he  said  'You  are  not  all  clean.'  When  he      12 

had  washed  their  feet,  and  had  put  on  his  upper  garments  and 
taken  his  place,  he  spoke  to  them  again. 

"  Do  you  understand  what  I  have  been  doing  to  you?  "  he 
asked.       "You   yourselves   call  me  'the  Teacher'   and   'the     13 
Master',  and  you  are  right,  for  I  am  both.       If  I,  then — 'the     14 
Master '  and  '  the  Teacher ' — have  washed  your  feet,  you  also 
ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet ;  for  I  have  given  you  an     15 
example,  so  that  you  may  do  just  as  I  have  done  to  you.     In     16 
truth  I  tell  you,  a  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master,  nor 
yet  a  messenger  than  the  man  who  sends  him.     Now  that  you     17 
know  these  things,  happy  are  you  if  you  do  them.     I  am  not     18 
speaking  about  all  of  you.     I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  ;  but 
this  is  in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of  Scripture — 
• '       '  He  that  is  eating  my  bread  has  lifted  his  heel  against  me.' 

18  Ps.  41.  9. 

H 


194  JOHN,  13. 

For  the  future  I  shall  tell  you  of  things  before  they  take  place,     19 
so  that,  when  they  take  place,  you  may  believe  that  I  am  what 
I  am.     In  truth   I   tell  you,  he  who  receives  any  one  that  I     20 
send  receives  me  ;  and  he  who  receives  me  receives  him  who 
sent  me." 

jesus  After  saying  this,  Jesus  was  much  troubled,     21 

points  out     and  said  solemnly  : 

the  Betrayer.      "  in  truth  I  tell  you  that  it  is  one  of  you  who 
will  betray  me." 

The  disciples  looked  at  one  another,  wondering  whom  he  22 
meant.  Next  to  Jesus,  in  the  place  on  his  right  hand,  was  23 
one  of  his  disciples,  whom  he  loved.  So  Simon  Peter  made  24 
signs  to  that  disciple,  and  whispered  : 

"  Tell  me  who  it  is  that  he  means." 

Being  in  this  position,  that  disciple  leant  back  on  Jesus'  25 
shoulder,  and  asked  him  : 

"Who  is  it,  Master?" 

"  It  is  the  one,"  answered  Jesus,  "  to  whom  I  shall  give  a     26 
piece  of  bread  after  dipping  it  in  the  dish." 
And,  when  Jesus  had  dipped  the  bread,  he  took  it  and  gave 
it  to  Judas,  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot :  and  it  was  then,  after     27 
he  had  received  it,  that  Satan  took  possession  of  him.     So 
Jesus  said  to  him  : 

"  Do  at  once  what  you  are  going  to  do." 

But  no  one  at  table  understood  why  he  said  this  to  J udas.    Some     28, 
thought  that,  as  Judas  kept  the  purse,  Jesus  meant  that  he  was 
to  buy  some  things  needed  for  the  Festival,  or  to  give  some- 
thing to  the  poor.     After  taking  the   piece.  <5f  bread,  Judas     30 
went  out  immediately  ;  and  it  was  night. 

.         .       .          When  Judas  had  gone  out,  Jesus  said  :  31 

Jesus  teaches  .          •>  .        _  ?»»          11  1^1  j° 

his  Disciples          Now  the  Son  ot  Man  has  been  exalted,  and 
privately.     Gocj  has  been  exalted  through  him  ;  and  God  will     32 
The  New      exalt  him  with  himself — yes,  he  will  exalt  him 
command,    forthwith.  My  children,  I  am  to  be  with     33 

'"*•        you  but  a  little  while  longer.     You  will  look  for 

me  ;  and  what  I  said  to  the  Jews — '  You  cannot  come  where 

I  am  going ' — I  now  say  to  you.     I  give  you  a  new  command-     34 

ment — Love  one  another  ;    love  one  another  as  I  have  loved 

you.     It  is  by  this  that  every  one  will  recognize  you  as  my     35 

disciples — by  your  loving  one  another." 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Master?  "  asked  Peter.  36 

"  I  am  going  where  you  cannot  now  follow  me,"  answered 

Jesus,  "  but  you  shall  follow  me  later." 

"  Why  cannot  I  follow  you  now,  Master?  "  asked  Peter.    "  I     37 

will  lay  down  my  life  for  you." 

"  Will  you  lay  down  your  life  for  me  ?  "  replied  Jesus.     "  In     38 

truth  I  tell  you,  the  cock  will  not  crow  till  you  have  disowned 

me  three  times. 


JOHN,  14.  195 

Do  not  let  your  hearts  be  troubled.     Believe  in     i    ; 
e    ay*      God  ;  believe  also  in  me.     In  my  Father's  Home     2 
there  are  many  dwellings.     If  it  had  not  been  so,  I  should 
have  told  you,  for  I  am  going  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And,     3 
since  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  shall  return  and 
take  you  to  be  with  me,  so  that  you  may  be  where  I  am  ;  and     4 
you  know  the  way  to  the  place  where  I  am  going." 

"We  do  not  know  where  you   are  going,  Master,"  said     5 
Thomas  ;  "  so  how  can  we  know  the  way  ?  " 

Jesus  answered  :  "  I  am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;     6 
no  one  ever  comes  to  the  Father  except  through  me.     If  you    7 
had  recognized  me,  you  would  have  known  my  Father  also  ; 
for  the  future  you  will  recognize  him,  indeed  you  have  already 
seen  him." 

"  Master,  show  us  the  Father,"  said  Philip,  "and  we  shall     8 
be  satisfied." 

"  Have  I  been  all  this  time  among  you,"  said  Jesus,  "and     9 
yet  you,    Philip,    have   not  recognized   me  ?       He   who   has 
seen  me  has  seen  the  Father,  how  can  you  say,  then,  '  Show 
us  the  Father '  ?     Do  not  you  believe  that  I  am  in  union  with     10 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  with  me  ?     In  giving  you  my  teach- 
ing I  am  not  speaking  on  my  own  authority  ;  but  the  Father 
himself,  always  in  union  with  me,  does  his  own  work.     Believe     1 1 
me,"  he  said  to  them  all,  "when  I  say  that  I  am  in  union 
with  the  Father  and  the  Father  with  me,  or  else  believe  me 
on  account  of  the  work   itself.  In   truth  I  tell  you,     12 

he    who    believes    in    me    will    himself   do   the   work    that 
I  am  doing ;    and  he  will  do  greater  work  still,  because  I 
am  going  to  the  Father.     Whatever  you  ask,  in  my  Name,     13 
Twill  do,  that  the  Father  may  he  honoured  in  the  Son.     If    14 
you  ask  anything,  in  my  Name,  I  will  do  it. 

If  you  love  me,  you  will  lay  my  commands  to     15 
Helper.  heart)  and  j  w;n  ask  the  pather,  and  he  will  give     16 

you   another  Helper,  to   be  with  you  always — the  Spirit  of    17 
Truth.     The  world  cannot  receive  this  Spirit,  because  it  does 
not  see  him  or  recognize  him,  but  you  recognize  him,  because 
he  is  always  with  you,  and  is  within  you.  I  will  not     18 

leave  you  bereaved  ;  I  will  come  to  you.     In  a  little  while  the     19 
world  will  see  me  no  more,  but  you  will  still  see  me  ;  because 
I  am  living,  you  will  be  living  also.     At  that  time  you  will     20 
recognize  that  I  am  in  union  with  the  Father,  and  you  with 
me,  and  I  with  you.     It  is  he  who  has  my  commands  and     21 
lays  them  to  heart  that  loves  me  ;  and  he  who  loves  me  will  be 
loved  by  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  reveal  my- 
self to  him." 

"What  has   happened,    Master,"   said    Judas   (not  Judas     22 
Iscariot),  "that  you  are  going  to  reveal  yourself  to  us,  and 
not  to  the  world  ?  " 

2  Enoch  39.  4. 


196  JOHN,  14-15. 

"  Whoever  loves  me,"  Jesus  answered,  "will  lay  my  Message     23 
to  heart ;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  to 
him   and  make  our  dwelling  with  him.      He  who  does  not     24 
love  me  will  not  lay  my  Message  to  heart ;   and  the  Message 
to  which  you  are  listening  is  not  my  own,  but  that  of  the 
Father  who  sent  me. 

I  have  told  you  all  this  while  still  with  you,  but  the  Helper     25, 
— the  Holy  Spirit  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  Name — 
he  will  teach  you  all  things,  and  will  recall  to  your  minds  all 
that  I  have  said  to  you.  Peace  be  with  you  !    My  own     27 

peace  I  give  you.     I  do  not  give  to  you  as  the  world  gives. 
Do  not  let  your  hearts  be  troubled,  or  dismayed.     You  heard     28 
me  say  that  I  was  going  away  and  would  return  to  you.     Had 
you  loved  me,  you  would  have  been  glad-that  I  was  going  to  the 
Father,  because  the  Father  is  greater  than  I.     And  this  I  have     29 
told  you  now  before  it  happens,  that,  when  it  does  happen,  you 
may  still  believe  in  me.     I  shall  not  talk  with  you  much  more,     30 
for  the  Spirit  that  is  ruling  the  world  is  coming.      He  has 
nothing  in  common  with  me  ;  but  he  is  coming  that  the  world     31 
may  see  that  I  love  the  Father,  and  that  I  do  as  the  Father 
commanded  me.  Come,  let  us  be  going. 

The  vine         I  am  the  True  Vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  Vine-     i    j 
and  the      grower.     Any  unfruitful  branch  in  me  he  takes     2 
Branches,    away,  and  he  cleanses  every  fruitful  branch,  that 
it  may  bear  more  fruit.     You  are  already  clean  because  of  the     3 
Message  that  I  have  given  you.    Remain  united  to  me,  and  I  will     4 
remain  united  to  you.     As  a  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  by  itself, 
unless  it  remains  united  to  the  vine  ;  no  more  can  you,  unless 
you  remain  united  to  me.     I  am  the  Vine,  you  are  the  branches.     5 
He  that  remains  united  to  me,  while  I  remain  united  to  him 
— he  bears  fruit  plentifully ;    for  you  can   do  nothing  apart 
from  me.  If  any  one  does  not  remain  united  to  me,     6 

he  is  thrown  away,  as  a  branch  would  be,  and  withers  up. 
Such  branches  are  collected  and  thrown  into  the  fire,  and  are 
burnt.     If  you  remain  united  to  me,  and  my  teaching  remains     7 
in  your  hearts,  ask  whatever  you  wish,  and  it  shall  be  yours. 
It  is  by  your  bearing  fruit  plentifully,  and  so  showing  your-    8 
selves   my   disciples,   that  my  Father-  is  honoured.      As   the    9 
Father  has  loved  me,  so  have  I  loved  you  ;  remain  in  my  love. 
If  you  lay  my  commands  to  heart,  you  will  remain  in  my  love  ;     10 
just  as  I   have   laid   the    Father's   commands   to  heart  and 
remain  in  his  love.  I  have  told  you  all  this  so  that  my     n 

own  joy  may  be  yours,  and  that  your  joy  may  be  complete. 
This  is  my  command — Love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved  12 
you.  No  one  can  give  greater  proof  of  love  than  by  laying  13 
down  his  life  for  his  friends.  And  you  are.  my  friends,  if  you  14 
do  what  I  command  you.  I  no  longer  calljmi  'servants,'  15 
because  a  servant  does  not  know  what  his  master  is  doing ; 


JOHN,  15-16.  197 

but  I  have  given  you  the  name  of  'friends,'  because  I  made 
known  to  you  everything  that  I  learnt  from  my  Father.  It  16 
was  not  you  who  chose  me,  but  I  who  chose  you,  and  I  ap- 
pointed you  to  go  and  bear  fruit — fruit  that  should  remain, 
so  that  the  Father  might  grant  you  whatever  you  ask  in  my 
Name. 

The  world        ^  am  &ivm§'  vou   these   commands   that  you     17 
and  the  Spirit  may  love  one  another.  If  the  world  hates     18 

of  Truth,     you,  you  know  that  it  has  first  hated  me.     If  you     19 
belonged  to  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own.     Be- 
cause you  do  not  belong  to  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you 
out  of  the  world — that  is  why  the  world  hates  you.     Remember     20 
what  I  said  to  3rou — '  A  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master.' 
If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will  also  persecute  you  ;  if  they 
have  laid  my  Message  to  heart,  they  will  lay  yours  to  heart  also. 
But  they  will  do  all  this  to  you,  because  you  believe  in  my     21 
Name,  for  they  do  not  know  him  who  sent  me.  If  I     22 

had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  would  have  had  no  sin 
to  answer  for  ;  but  as  it  is,  they  have  no  excuse  for  their  sin. 
He  who  hates  me  hates  my  Father  also.     If  I  had  not  done     23, 
among  them  such  work  as  no  one  else  ever  did,  they  would 
have  had  no  sin  to  answer  for ;   but,  as  it  is,  they  have  both 
seen  and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father.     And  so  is  fulfilled     25 
what  is  said  in  their  Law — 

'  They  hated  me  without  cause.' 

But,  when  the  Helper  comes,  whom  I  will  send  to  you  from  the     26 
Father — the  Spirit  of  Truth,  who  comes  from  the  Father — he 
will ,  bear  testimony  to  me  ;   yes,  and   you   also  are  to  bear     27 
testimony,  because  you  have  been  with  me  from  the  first. 

I  have  spoken  to  you  in  this  way  so  that  you  may  not  falter,     i    j 
They  will  expel  you  from  their  Synagogues  ;  indeed  the  time     2 
is  coming  when  any  one  who  kills  you  will  think  that  he  is 
making  an  offering  to  God.     They  will  do  this,  because  they     3 
have  not  learnt  to  know  the  Father,  or  even  me.     But  I  have     4 
spoken  to  you  of  these  things  that,  when  the  time  for  them 
comes,  you  may  remember  that  I  told  you  about  them  myself. 
I  did  not  tell  you  all  this  at  first,  because  I  was  with  you.     But     5 
now  I  am  to  return  to  him  who  sent  me  ;   and  yet  not  one  of 
you  asks  me — '  Where  are  you  going  ?  ',  although  your  hearts     6 
are  full  of  sorrow  at  all  that  I  have  been  saying  to  you.    Yet-I     7 
am  only  telling  you  the  truth  ;  it  is  for  your  good  that  I  should 
go  away.     For  otherwise  the  Helper  will  never  come  to  you, 
but,  if  I  leave  you,  I  will  send  him  to  you.  And  he,     8 

when  he  comes,  will  bring  conviction  to  the  world  as  to  Sin, 
and  as  to  Righteousness,  and  as  to  Judgement ;  as  to  Sin,  for    9 
men  do  not  believe  in  me ;    as  to  Righteousness,  for  I  am     10 

25  Ps.  35.  19. 


198  JOHN,  16 

going  to  the  Father,  and  you  will  see  me  no  longer ;   as  to     1 1 
Judgement,  for  the  Spirit  that  is  ruling  this  world  has  been 
condemned.  I  have  still  much  to  say  to  you,  but  you     12 

cannot  bear  it  now.      Yet  when  he — the  Spirit  of  Truth —     13 
comes,  he  will   guide   you    into   all   Truth  ;    for  he  will  not 
speak  on  his  own  authority,  but  he  will  speak  of  all  that 
he  hears  ;  and  he  will  tell  you  of  the  things  that  are  to  come. 
He  will  honour  me  ;   because  he  will  take  of  what  is  mine,     14 
and  will  tell  it  to  you.       Everything  that  the  Father  has  is     15 
mine  ;  that  is  why  I  said  that  he  takes  of  what  is  mine,  and 
will  tell  it  to  you. 

words  ^n  a  little  while  you  will  no  longer  see  me  ;  and     16 

of          then  in  a  little  while  you  will  see  me  indeed." 

Farewell.     At  this  some  of  his  disciples  said  to  one  another :     17 

"What  does  he  mean  by  saying  to  us  '  In  a  little  while  you 
will  not  see  me,  and  then  in  a  little  while  you  will  see  me 
indeed  ' ;  and  by  saying  '  Because  I  am  going  to  the  Father '  ? 
What  does  he   mean   by    'In   a  little   while'?"   they  said;     18 
".we  do  not  know  what  he  is  speaking  about." 
Jesus  saw  that  they  were  wanting  to  ask  him  a  question,  and     19 
said  : 

"Are  you  trying  to  find  out  from  one  another  what  I  meant 
by  saying  '  In  a  little  while  you  will  not  see  me  ;  and  then  in 
a  little  while  you  will  see  me  indeed'?      In  truth  I  tell  you     20 
that  you  will  weep  and  mourn,  but  the  world  will  rejoice  ;  you 
will  suffer  pain,  but  your  pain  shall  turn  to  joy.     A  woman     21 
in  labour  is  in  pain  because  her  time  has  come  ;  but  no  sooner  is 
the  child  born,  than  she  forgets  her  trouble  in  her  joy  that 
a  man  has  been  born  into  the  world.      You,   in   the  same     22 
way,  are  sorry  now  ;    but  I  shall  see  you  again,  and  your 
hearts  will  rejoice,  and  no  one  will  rob  you  of  your  joy.     And     23 
at   that   time  you   will   not    ask    me    anything ;    in   truth    I 
tell  you,  if  you  ask  the  Father  for  anything,  he  will  grant  it 
to  you  in  my  Name.     So  far  you  have  not  asked  for  anything,     24 
in  my  Name  ;  ask,  and  you  will  receive,  so  that  your  joy  may 
be  complete. 

I  have  spoken    to  you  of  all    this  in  figures  ;    a    time    is     25 
coming,  however,  when  I  shall  not  speak  any  longer  to  you 
in  figures,  but  shall  tell  you  about  the  Father  plainly.     You     26 
will  ask,  at  that  time,  in  my  Name  ;  and  I  do  not  say  that  I 
will  intercede  with  the  Father  for  you  ;  for  the  Father  himself    27 
loves  you,  because  you  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed  that 
I  came  from  the  Father.     I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and     28 
have  come  into  the  world  ;  and  now  I  am  to  leave  the  world, 
and  go  to  the  Father." 

"At  last,"  exclaimed  the  disciples,  "you  are  using  plain     29 
words  and1  not  speaking-  in  figures  at  all.     Now  we  are  sure     30 
that  you  know  everything,  and  need  not  wait  for  any  one  to 
» Isa,  66. 14. 


JOHN,  lfc-17.  Ito 

question  you.     This  makes  qs  believe  that  you  did  come  from 
God." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  already  ?  "  Jesus  answered.   "  Listen  !     31,  32 
a  time  is  coming — indeed  it  has  already  come — when  you  are 
to  be  scattered,  each  going  his  own  way,  and  to  leave  me 
alone  ;    and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with 
me.     I  have  spoken  to  you  in  this  way,  so  that  in  me  you  may     33 
find  peace.      In  the  world  you  will  find  trouble  ;    yet,   take 
courage  !    I  have  conquered  the  world." 

The  Prayer        After  saying  this,  Jesus  raised  his  eyes  heaven-     i    17 

of          wards,  and  said  : 

Je*us-  "  Father,  the  hour  has  come  ;  honour 

thy  Son,  that  thy  Son  may  honour  thee ;  even 
as  thou  gavest  him  power  over  all  mankind,  2 

that  he  should  give  Immortal  Life  to  all  those 
whom  thou  hast  given  him.  And  the  Im-  3 

mortal  Life  is  this — to  know  thee  the  one  true 
God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent  as 
thy  Messenger.  I  have  honoured  thee  on  4 

earth  by  completing  the  work  which  thou  hast 
given  me  to  do  ;  and  now  do  thou  honour  me,  5 

Father,  at  thy  own  side,  with  the  honour  which 
I  had  at  thy  side  before  the  world  began. 

I  have  revealed  thee  to  those  whom  thou  6 

gavest  me  from  the  world  ;  they  were  thy 
own,  and  thou  gavest  them  to  me  ;  and  they 
have  laid  thy  Message  to  heart.  They  7 

recognize  now  that  everything  that  thou 
gavest  me  was  from  thee  ;  for  I  have  given  8 

them  the  teaching  which  thou  gavest  me,  and 
they  received  it,  and  clearly  understood  that 
I  came  from  thee,  and  they  believed  that  thou  „ 

hast  sent  me  as  thy  Messenger.  I  9 

intercede  for  them  ;  I  am  noi  interceding  for 
the  world,  but  for  those  whom  thou  hast 
given  me,  for  they  are  thy  own — all  that  10 

is  mine  is  thine,  and  all  that  is  thine  is  mine 
— and  I  am  honoured  in  them.  Now  I  am  n 

to  be  in  this  world  no  longer,  but  they  are 
still  to  be  in  the  world,  and  I  am  to  come 
to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep  them  by  that 
revelation  of  thy  Name  which  thou  hast 
given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we 
are.  Whilst  I  was  with  them,  I  it 

kept  them  by  that  revelation,  and  I  have 
guarded  them  ;  and  not  one  of  them  has 
been  lost,  except  that  lost  soul — in  fulfil- 
ment.of  Scripture.  But  now  I  am  to  come  13 


200  JOHN,  17—18. 

to  thee  ;   and   I   am   speaking   thus,  while 

still    in    the    world,    that    they    may    have 

my  own  joy,    in    all    its   fulness,    in    their 

hearts.  I  have  given  them  thy  Mes-  14 

sage  ;   and  the  world  hated  them,  because 

they  do  not  belong  to  the  world,  even  as  I 

do  not  belong  to  the  world.      I  do  not  ask  15 

thee  to  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  to 

keep  them  from  Evil.     They  do  not  belong  16 

to  the  world,  even  as  I  do  not  belong  to  the 

world.     Consecrate  them  by  the  Truth  ;  thy  17 

Message  is  Truth.    Just  as  thou  hast  sent  me  18 

as  thy  Messenger  to  the  world,  so  I  send  them 

as  my  Messengers  to  the  world.     And  it  is  19 

for  their  sakes  that  I  am  consecrating  myself, 

so  that  they  also  may  be  truly  consecrated. 

But  it  is  not  only  for  them  that  I  am  inter-  20 

ceding,  but  also  for  those  who  believe  in  me 
through  their  Message,  that  they  all  may  be  21 

one — that  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  union  with  me 
and  I  with  thee,  so  they  also  may  be  in  union 
with  us — and  so  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  hast  sent  me  as  thy  Messenger.  I  have  22 

given  them  the  honour  which  thou  hast  given 
me,  that  they  may  be  one  as  we  are  one — I  in  23 

union  with  them  and  thou  with  me — that  so 
they  may  be  perfected  in  their  union,  and  thus 
the  world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me  as 
thy  Messenger,  and  that  thou  hast  loved  them 
as  thou  hast  loved  me.  Father,  my  24 

desire  for  all  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me  is 
that  they  may  be  with  me  where  I  am,  so  that 
theymaysee  the  honourwhich  thou  hastgiven 
me  ;  for  thou  didst  love  me  before  the  begin- 
ningofthe  world.  O  righteous  Father,  25 

though  the  world  did  not  know  thee,  I  knew 
thee  ;  and  these  men  knew  that  thou  hast  sent 
me  as  thy  Messenger.  I  have  made  thee  26 

known  to  them,  and  will  do  so  still  ;  that  the 
love  that  thou  hast  had  for  me  may  be  in  their 
hearts,  and  that  I  may  be  in  them  also." 


When  Jesus  had  said  this,  he  went  out  with  his 
jo«ua  in       disciples  and  crossed  the  brook  Kedron  to  a  place 

Qethvemano.         ,  ,  .  ,  .    ,      ,     • 

where  there  was  a  garden,  into  which  he  and 
his  disciples  went.  The  place  was  well  known  to  Judas,  the 
betrayer,  for  Jesus  and  his  disciples  had  often  met  there.  So 
Judas,  who  had  obtained  the  soldiers  of  the  Roman  garrison, 


JOHN,  18.  201 

and   some  police-officers   from   the    Chief    Priests    and   the 
Pharisees,  came  there  with  lanterns,  torches,  and  weapons. 
Jesus,  aware  of  all  that  was  coming  upon  him,  went  to  meet    4 
them,  and  said  to  them  : 

"  For  whom  are  you  looking?  " 

"Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  was  their  answer.  5 

"  I  am  he,"  said  Jesus. 

(Judas,  the  betrayer,  was  also  standing  with  them.) 
When  Jesus  said  '  I  am  he,'  they  drew  back  and  fell  to  the     6 
ground.     So  he  again  asked  for  whom  they  were  looking,  and     7 
they  answered  :  "Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

"  I  have*  already  told  you  that  I  am  he,"  replied  Jesus,  "so,     8 
if  it  is  for  me  that  you  are  looking,  let  these  men  go." 
This  was  in  fulfilment  of  his  words — '  Of  those  whom  thou     9 
hast  given  me  I  have  not  lost  one.' 

At  this,  Simon  Peter,  who  had  a  sword  with  him,  drew  it,     10 
and  struck  the  High  Priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right 
ear.     The  servant's  name  was  Malchus.      But  Jesus  said  to     n 
Peter  : 

"  Sheathe  your  sword.     Shall  I  not  drink  the  cup  which  the 
Father  has  given  me  ?  " 

So  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison,  with  their  Com-     12 
The         manding  Officer  and  the  Jewish  police,  arrested 
Teaus?      Jesus   and   bound   him,    and   took  him   first   of    13 

all  to  Annas.     Annas  was  the  father-in-law  of 
Caiaphas,  who  was  High  Priest  that  year.     It  was  Caiaphas     14 
who  had  counselled  the  Jews,  that  it  was  best  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people. 

Meanwhile  Simon  Peter    followed  Jesus,  and     15 
Peter  disowns  so  did  another  disciple.      That  disciple,   being 
well-known  to  the  High  Priest,  went  with  Jesus 
into  the  High  Priest's  court-yard,  while  Peter  stood  outside     16 
by  the  door.     Presently  the  other  disciple — the  one  well-known 
to  the  High  Priest — went  out  and  spoke  to  the  portress,  and 
brought  Peter  in.     So  the  maidservant  said  to  Peter  :  17 

"Are  not  you  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples?  " 
"  No,  I  am  not,"  he  said. 

The  servants  and  police-officers  were  standing  round  a  char-     18 
coal  fire  (which  they  had  made  because  it  was  cold),  and  were 
warming  themselves.    Peter,  too,  was  with  them,  standing  and 
warming  himself. 

The  High  Priest  questioned  Jesus  about  his     19 

Jesus  ,.      •    i          &   .      i_        ,   i  •      ,          .• 

before  the    disciples  and  about  his  teaching. 

High  priest.       "  For    my    part,"  answered  Jesus,    "I    have     20 
spoken  to  all  the  world  openly.      I  always  taught  in  some 
Synagogue,  or  in  the  Temple  Courts,  places  where  all  the 
Jews  assemble,  and  I  never  spoke  of  anything  in  secret.    Why     21 
question  me  ?     Question  those  who  have  listened  to  me  as 

H* 

UMIAK? 

tlrftTt  TKACH«R» 
HAWTA  »ARBA*A 


202  JOHN,  18. 

to  what  I  have  spoken  about  to  them.     They  must  know  what 
I  said." 

When  Jesus  said  this,   one  of  the  police-officers,  who  was     22 
standing  near,  gave  him  a  blow  with  his  hand. 

"  Do  you  answer  the  High  Priest  like  that?  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  If  I  said  anything  wrong,  give  evidence  about  it,"  replied     23 
Jesus  ;  "  but  if  not,  why  do  you  strike  me  ?  " 
Annas  sent  him  bound  to  Caiaphas  the  High  Priest.  24 

Meanwhile  Simon  Peter  was  standing  there,  warming  him-     25 
self ;  so  they  said  to  him  : 

"Are  not  you  also  one  of  his  disciples?" 
Peter  denied  it. 

"  No,  I  am  not,"  he  said. 

One  of  the  High  Priest's  servants,  a  relation  of  the  man  whose     26 
ear  Peter  had  cut  off,  exclaimed  : 

"  Did  not  I  myself  see  you  with  him  in  the  garden  ?  " 
Peter  again  denied  it ;  and  at  that  moment  a  cock  crowed.          27 

.    .  From  Caiaphas  they  took  Jesus  to  the  Govern-     28 

Jesus  DOToro  __  r  ._  i«i  •  T-» 

the  Roman    ment  House.     It  was  early  in  the  morning.     But 

Governor,  they  did  not  enter  the  Government  House  them- 
selves, lest  they  should  become  'defiled,'  and  so  be  unable  to  eat 
the  Passover.  Therefore  Pilate  came  outside  to  speak  to  them.  29 

"What  charge  do  you  bring  against  this  man  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  If  he  had  not  been  a  criminal,  we  should  not  have  given     30 
him  up  to  you,"  they  answered. 

"Take  him  yourselves,"  said  Pilate,  "and  try  him  by  your     31 
own  Law." 

"We  have  no  power  to  put  any  one  to  death,"  the  Jews 
replied — in  fulfilment  of  what  Jesus  had  said  when  indicating     32 
the  death  that  he  was  destined  to  die. 

After  that,  Pilate  went  into  the  Government  House  again,     33 
and  calling  Jesus  up,  asked  him  : 

"  Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  " 

"Do  you  ask  me  that  yourself?"  replied  Jesus,   "or  did     34 
others  say  it  to  you  about  me  ?  " 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  Jew  ?  "  was  Pilate's  answer.     "  It  is     35 
your  own  nation  and  the  Chief  Priests  who  have  given  you 
up  to  me.     What  have  you  done  ?  " 

"My  kingly  power,"  replied  Jesus,    "is  not  due   to   this     36 
world.     If  it  had  been  so,  my  servants  would  be  doing  their 
utmost  to  prevent  my  being  given  up  to  the  Jews  ;  but  my 
kingly  power  is  not  from  the  world." 

"  So  you  are  a  King  after  all  !  "  exclaimed  Pilate.  37 

"Yes,  it  is  true  I  am  a  King,"  answered  Jesus.  "I  was 
born  for  this,  I  have  come  into  the  world  for  this— to  bear 
testimony  to  the  Truth.  Every  one  who  is  on  the  side  of 
Truth  listens  to  my  voice." 

"  What  is  Truth  ?  "  exclaimed  Pilate.  18 


JOHN,  18-19.  203 

After  saying  this,  he  went  out  to  the  Jews  again,  and  said  : 
"  For  my  part,  I  find  nothing  with  which  he  can  be  charged. 

It  is,  however,  the  custom  for  me  to  grant  you  the  release  of    39 

one  man  at  the    Passover  Festival.       Do   you  wish  for  the 

release  of  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  " 

"  No,  not  this  man,"  they  shouted  again,  "  but  Barabbas  !  "     40 

This  Barabbas  was  a  robber. 

After  that,  Pilate  had  Jesus  scourged.     The  soldiers  made  a     1,2 
crown  with  some  thorns  and  put  it  on  his  head  and  threw  a 
purple  robe  round  him.      They  kept  coming  up  to  him  and     3 
saying  :  "  Long  live  the  King  of  the  Jews  !  "  and  they  gave  him 
blow  after  blow  with  their  hands.  Pilate  again  came     4 

outside,  and  said  to  the  people  : 

"  Look  !    I  am  bringing  him  out  to  you,  so  that  you  may 
know  that  I  find  nothing  with  which  he  can  be  charged." 
Then  Jesus  came  outside,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and     5 
the  purple  robe  ;  and  Pilate  said  to  them  : 

"  Here  is  the  man  !  " 

When  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  police-officers  saw  him,  they     6 
shouted  : 

"  Crucify  him  !    Crucify  him  ! " 

"  Take  him  yourselves  and  crucify  him,"  said  Pilate.  "  For 
my  part,  I  find  nothing  with  which  he  can  be  charged." 

"  But  we,"  replied  the  Jews,  "  have  a  Law,  under  which  he     7 
deserves   death  for   making   himself  out   to   be   the   Son   of 
God." 

When  Pilate  heard  what  they  said,  he  became  still  more  8 
alarmed  ;  and,  going  into  the  Government  House  again,  he  9 
sa'd  to  Jesus  : 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  " 
But  Jesus  made  no  reply.     So  Pilate  said  to  him  :  10 

"Do  you  refuse  to  speak  to  me?  Do  not  you  know  that 
I  have  power  to  release  you,  and  have  power  to  crucify 
you  ?  " 

"You  would  have  no  power  over  me  at  all,"  answered  Jesus,     1 1 
"  if  it  had  not  been  given  you  from  above  ;  and,  therefore,  the 
man  who  betrayed  me  to  you  is  guilty  of  the  greater  sin." 
This  made  Pilate    anxious    to  release    him;     but  the  Jews     12 
shouted  : 

"  If  you  release  that  man,  you  are  no  friend  of  the  Emperor  ! 
Any  one  who  makes  himself  out  to  be  a  King  is  setting  him- 
self against  the  Emperor  ! " 

On  hearing  what  they  said,  Pilate  brought  Jesus  out,  and     13 
took  his  seat  upon  the  Bench  at  a  place  called  'The  Stone 
Pavement' — in    Hebrew  'Gabbatha.'      It  was   the  Passover     14 
Preparation    Day,    and   about   noon.     Then   he   said  to   the 
Jews  : 

"  Here  is  your  King  ! " 


204  JOHN,  19. 

At  that  the  people  shouted  :  15 

"  Kill  him  !    Kill  him  !    Crucify  him  ! " 
"  What !  shall  I  crucify  your  King  ?  "  exclaimed  Pilate. 
"We  have  no  King  but  the  Emperor,"  replied  the  Chief 

Priests ;    whereupon    Pilate  gave  Jesus   up   to   them   to   be     16 

crucified. 

So  they  took  Jesus  ;  and  he  went  out,  carrying     17 
The         his  cross  himself,  to  the  place  which  is  named  from 
°o7je8uL!n    a  skull>  or«  in  Hebrew,  Golgotha.     There  they     18 

crucified  him,  and  two  others  with  him — one  on 
each  side,  and  Jesus  between  them.     Pilate  also  had  these     19 
words  written  and  put  up  over  the  cross — 

'JESUS  OF  NAZARETH,  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.' 

These    words  were  read    by  many  of  the  Jews,  because  the     20 
place  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  near  the  city  ;  and  they 
were  written  in    Hebrew,   Latin,  and   Greek.      The  Jewish     21 
Chief  Priests  said  to  Pilate  : 

"  Do  not  write  '  The  King  of  the  Jews ',  but  write  what  the 
man  said — '  I  am  King  of  the  Jews.' "  But  Pilate  answered  :  22 

"What  I  have  written,  I  have  written." 

When  the  soldiers  had  crucified  Jesus,  they  took  his  clothes     23 
and  divided  them  into  four  shares — a  share  for  each  soldier — 
and  they  took  the  coat  also.     The  coat  had  no  seam,  being 
woven  in  one  piece  from  top  to  bottom.     So  they  said  to  one    24 
another : 

"  Do  not  let  us  tear  it,  but  let  us  cast  lots  for  it,  to  see  who 
shall  have  it. "  This  was  in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture— 

'  They  shared  my  clothes  among  them, 
And  over  my  clothing-  they  cast  lots.' 

That  was  what  the  soldiers  did.     Meanwhile  near  the  cross    25 
of  Jesus  were  standing  his  mother  and  his  mother's  sister,  as 
well   as  Mary  the    wife    of   Clopas  and    Mary  of   Magdala. 
When  Jesus  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  whom  he  loved,     26 
standing  near,  he  said  to  his  mother : 

"There  is  your  son." 
Then  he  said  to  that  disciple  :  27 

"There  is  your. mother." 
And  from  that  very  hour  the  disciple  took  her  to  live  in  his  house. 

Afterwards,  knowing  that  everything  was  now     28 
Tr.iMu*!'    finished,  Jesus  said,  in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of 

Scripture : 
"I  am  thirsty." 
There  was  a  bowl  standing  there  full  ot  common  wine  ;  so     29 

**  Ps.  aa.  18.     »-»  P».  69.  31. 


JOHN,  19-20.  205 

they  put  a  sponge  soaked  in  the  wine  on  the  end  of  a  hyssop-  '  , 
stalk,  and  held  it  up  to  his  mouth.  When  Jesus  had  received  30 
the  wine,  he  exclaimed  : 

"All  is  finished  !" 
Then,  bowing  his  head,  he  resigned  his  spirit  to  God. 

It  was  the  Preparation  Day,  and  so,  to  prevent  the  bodies     31 
from  remaining  on  the  crosses  during  the  Sabbath  (for  that 
Sabbath  was  a  great  day),  the  Jews  asked  Pilate  to  have  the 
legs  broken  and  the  bodies  removed.    Accordingly  the  soldiers     32 
came  and  broke  the  legs  of  the  first  man,  and  then  those  of 
the  other  who  had  been  crucified  with  Jesus  ;  but,  on  coming     33 
to  him,  when  they  saw  that  he  was  already  dead,  they  did 
not  break  his  legs.     One  of  the  soldiers,  however,  pierced  his     34 
side  with  a  spear,  and  blood  and  water  immediately  flowed 
from  it.     This  is  the  statement  of  one  who  actually  saw  it —    35 
and  his  statement  may  be  relied  upon,  and  he  knows  that  he 
is  speaking  the  truth — and  it  is  given  in  order  that  you  also 
may  be  convinced.     For  all  this  took  place  in  fulfilment  of    36 
the  words  of  Scripture — 

'  Not  one  of  its  bones  shall  be  broken.' 

And  there  is  another  passage  which  says —  37 

'  They  will  look  upon  him*whom  they  pierced.' 

After  this,  Joseph  of  Ramah,  a  disciple  of  Jesus —     38 
The  Burial    but  a  secret  one,  owing  to  his  fear  of  the  Jews — 
of  Jesus.      begged  Pilate's  permission  to  remove  the  body  of 
Jesus.      Pilate  gave  him  leave  ;  so  Joseph  went 
and  removed  the  body.     Nicodemus,  too — the  man  who  had     39 
formerly  visited  Jesus  by  night — came  with  a  roll  of  myrrh  and 
aloes,  weighing  nearly  a  hundred  pounds.    They  took  the  body    40 
of  Jesus,  and  wound  it  in  linen  with  the  spices,  according  to  the 
Jewish  mode  of  burial.     At  the  place  where  Jesus  had  been     41 
crucified  there  was  a  garden,  and  in  the  garden  a  newly-made 
tomb  in  which  no  one  had  ever  been  laid.     And  so,  because  of    42 
its  being  the  Preparation  Day,  and  as  the  tomb  was  close  at 
hand,  they  laid  Jesus  there. 


IV.— THE  RISEN  LIFE. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  week,  early  in  the  morn- 

The         ;ng>  while  it  was  still  dark,  Mary  of  Magdala 

Reo"je^u*8rn  went  to  the  tomb,  and  saw  that  the  stone  had 

been  removed.     So  she  came  running  to  Simon 

Peter,  and  to  that  other  disciple  who  was  Jesus'  friend,  and 

said  to^  them  : 

"They  have  taken  away  the  Master  out  of  the  tomb,  and  we 
do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  him  ! " 

*'•  Exod.  12.  46.     37  Zech.  12.  10. 


206  JOHN,  20. 

Upon  this,  Peter  started  off  with  that  other  disciple,  and     3 
they  went  to  the  tomb.     The  two  began  running  together ;     4 
but  the  other  disciple  ran  faster  than  Peter,  and  reached  the 
tomb  first.     Stooping  down,  he  saw  the  linen  wrappings  lying     5 
there,   but   did  not   go   in.       Presently   Simon     Peter    came     6 
following   behind    him,  and    went    into  the    tomb ;    and   he 
looked  at  the  linen  wrappings  lying  there,  and  the  cloth  which     7 
had  been  upon  Jesus'  head,  not  lying  with  the  wrappings,  but 
rolled  up  on  one  side,  separately.     Then  the  other  disciple,     8 
who  had  reached  the  tomb  first,  went  inside  too,  and  he  saw 
for  himself  and  was  convinced.     For  they  did  not  then  under-     9 
stand  the  passage  of  Scripture  which  says  that  Jesus  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead.     The  disciples  then  returned  to  their     10 
companions. 

jesus  Meanwhile  Mary  was  standing  close  outside  the     1 1 

.appears  to    tomb,  weeping.     Still  weeping,  she  leant  forward 

Mary.        jnto  tne  tomb,  and  perceived  two  angels  clothed     12 
in  white  sitting  there,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  been  lying, 
one  where  the  head  and  the  other  where  the  feet  had  been. 

"  Why  are  you  weeping  ?  "  asked  the  angels.  13 

"They  have  taken  my  Master  away,"  she  answered,  "and 
I  do  not  know  where  they  have  laid  him." 

After  saying  this,  she  turned  round,  and  looked  at  Jesus  stand-     14 
ing  there,  but  she  did  not  know  that  it  was  Jesus. 

"Why  are  you  weeping?     Whom  are  you  seeking?"  he     15 
asked. 
Supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  Mary  answered  : 

"  If  it  was  you,  Sir,  who  carried  him  away,  tell  me  where 
you  have  laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away  myself." 

"  Mary  !  "  said  Jesus.  16 

She  turned  round,  and  exclaimed  in  Hebrew  : 

"  Rabboni  !  "  (or,  as  we  should  say,  '  Teacher '). 

"  Do  not  hold  me,"  Jesus  said;  "for  I  have  not  yet  ascended     17 
to  the  Father.     But  go  to  my  Brothers,  and  tell  them  that  I  am 
ascending  to  him  who  is  my  Father  and  their  Father,  my  God 
and  their  God." 

Mary  of  Magdala  went  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had     18 
seen  the  Master,  and  that  he  had  said  this  to  her. 

Jesus  I"  l'ie  evening  of  the  same  day — the  first  day     19 

appears  to   of  the  week — after  the   doors   of  the    room,  in 
the  Apostles.  which  the  disciples  were,  had  been  shut  for  fear 
of  the  Jews,  Jesus  came  and  stood  among  them  and  said  : 
"  Peace  be  with  you  "  ;  after  which  he  showed  them  his  hands     20 
and  his  side.      The  disciples  were  filled  with  joy  when  they 
saw  the  Master.     Again  Jesus  said  to  them  :  "  Peace  be  with     21 
you.     As  the  Father  has  sent  me  as  his  Messenger,  so  I  am 
Bending  you." 
A  ter  saying  this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  said  :  22 


JOHN,  20-21.  207 

"  Receive  the  Holy  Spirit;  if  you  remit  any  one's  sins,  they     23 
have  been  remitted ;  and,  if  you  retain  them,  they  have  been 
retained." 

jesus  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  Twelve,  called  '  The    24 

appears  to    Twin,'  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came  ;  so     25 

Thomas.  the  rest  of  the  disciples  said  to  him  :  "We  have 
seen  the  Master  !  " 

"  Unless  I  see  the  marks  of  the  nails  in  his  hands,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "and  put  my  finger  into  the  marks,  and.  put  my 
hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe  it." 

A  week  later  the  disciples  were  again  in  the  house,  and     26 
Thomas  with  them.     After  the  doors  had  been  shut,  Jesus 
came  and  stood  among  them,  and  said:  "Peace  be  with  you." 
Then  he  said  to  Thomas  :  27 

"  Place  your  finger  here,  and  look  at  my  hands  ;  and  place 
your  hand  here,  and  put  it  into  my  side  ;  and  do  not  refuse  to 
believe,  but  believe." 
And  Thomas  exclaimed  :  28 

"  My  Master,  and  my  God  ! " 

"  Is  it  because  you  have  seen  me  that  you  have  believed  ?  "     29 
said  Jesus.     "  Blessed  are  they  who  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  believed  ! " 

The  ob  ect       There  were  many  other  signs  of  his  mission     30 
of  this       that  Jesus  gave  in  presence  of  the  disciples,  which 
oospei.       are  not  recorded  in  this  book  ;    but  these  have     31 
been  recorded  that  you  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God— and  that,  through  your  belief  in  his  Name, 
you  may  have  Life. 


A  .  Later  on,  Jesus  showed  himself  again  to  the     i 

Appearance  disciples  by  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.     It  was  in  this     2 

of  Jesus.     way  : — Simon   Peter,  Thomas,  who  was   called 
'The  Twin,'  Nathanael  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  Zebediah's  sons, 
and  two  other  disciples  of  Jesus,  were  together,  when  Simon     3 
Peter  said  :   "I  am  going  fishing." 

"We  will  come  with  you,"  said  the  others. 
They  went  out  and  got  into  the  boat,  but  caught  nothing  that 
night.     Just  as  day  was  breaking,  Jesus  came  and  stood  on     4 
the  beach  ;  but  the  disciples  did  not  know  that  it  was  he. 

"  My  children,"  he  said,  "  have  you  anything  to  eat  ?  "  5 

"  No,"  they  answered. 

"  Cast  your  net  to  the  right  of  the  boat,"  he  said,  "  and  you     6 
will  find  fish." 
So  they  cast  the  net,  and  now  they  could  not  haul  it  in  on 


208  JOHN,  21. 

account  of  the  quantity  of  fish.     Upon  this  the  disciple  whom     7 
Jesus  loved  said  to  Peter : 

"  It  is  the  Master  !" 

When  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Master,  he  fastened 
his  coat  round  him  (for  he  had  taken  it  off),  and  threw  him- 
self into  the  Sea.     But  the  rest  of  the  disciples  came  in  the    8 
boat  (for  they  were  only  about  a  hundred  yards  from  shore), 
dragging  the  net  full  of  fish.  When  they  had  come     9 

ashore,  they   found    a   charcoal    fire   ready,  with    some    fish 
already  on  it,  and  some  bread  as  well. 

"  Bring  some  of  the  fish  which  you  have  just  caught,"  said     10 
Jesus.     So  Simon  Peter  got  into  the  boat  and  hauled  the  net     1 1 
ashore  full  of  large  fish,  a  hundred  and  fifty-three  of  them  ; 
and  yet,  although  there  were  so  many,  the  net  had  not  been 
torn. 

And  Jesus  said  to  them  :  "  Come  and  breakfast."  12 

Not  one  of  the  disciples  ventured  to  ask  him  who  he  was, 
knowing  that  it  was  the  Master.     Jesus  went  and  took  the     13 
bread  and  gave  it  to  them,  and  the  fish  too.  This  was     14 

the  third  time  that  Jesus  showed  himself  to  the  disciples  after 
he  had  risen  from  the  dead. 

JOBUS'  When  breakfast  was  over,  Jesus  said  to  Simon     15 

Last  word*    Peter : 

to  Pater.         «  Simon,  son  of  John,  do  you  love  me  more 
than  the  others  ?  " 

"Yes,  Master,"  he  atiswered,  "you  know  that  I  am  your 
friend." 

"  Feed  my  lambs,"  said  Jesus. 
Then,  a  second  tune,  Jesus  asked  :  16 

"  Simon,  son  or  John,  do  you  love  me?" 

"Yes,   Master,"  he  answered,   "you  know  that  I  am  your 
friend." 

"Tend  my  sheep,"  said  Jesus. 
The  third  time,  Jesus  said  to  him  :  17 

"  Simon,  son  of  John,  are  you  my  friend  ?  " 
Peter  was  hurt  at  his    third  question  being    '  Are   you   my 
friend  ?  ' ;  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Master,  you  know  everything !    You  can  tell  that  I  am 
your  friend." 

"Feed  my  sheep,"  said  Jesus.  "In  truth  I  tell  you,"  he  18 
continued,  "  when  you  were  young,  you  used  to  put  on  your 
own  girdle,  and  walk  wherever  you  wished  ;  but,  when  you 
have  grown  old,  you  will  have  to  stretch  out  your  hands, 
while  some  one  else  puts  on  your  girdle,  and  takes  you 
where  you  do  not  wish. 

ijesus  said  this  to  show  the  death  by  which  Peter  was  to     19 
.honour  God,  and  then  he  added  :  "  Follow  me." 

Peter  turned  round,  and  saw  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved     20 


JOHN,  21.  209 

following — the  one  who  at  the  supper  leant  .back  on  the 
Master's  shoulder,  and  asked  him  who  it  was  that  would 
betray  him.  Seeing  him,  Peter  said  to  Jesus  :  21 

"  Master,  what  about  this  man  ?  " 

"If   it    is    my   will   that    he    should    wait    till    I    come,"     22 
answered  Jesus,  "  what  has  that  to  do  with  you  ?     Follow  me 
yourself." 

So   the  report   spread   among  the    Brethren    that    that  dis-     23 
ciple  was  not  to  die  ;  yet  Jesus  did  not  say  that  he  was  not  to 
die,   but  said  *'  If  it  is  my  will  that  he  should   wait   till    I 
come,  what  has  that  to  do  with  you  ?  " 

It  is  this  disciple  who  states  these  things,  and     24 
conclusion.  WJIQ  recorcje(j  tiiem  •  an(j  we  know  that  his  state- 
ment is  true. 

There  are  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did  ;  but,  if  every     25 
one  of  them  were   to  be   recorded  in    detail,  I  suppose  that 
even  the  world  itself  would  not  hold   the   books  that  would 
be  written. 


210 


A  PASSAGE  ABOUT  AN  ADULTERESS. 

(Inserted  in  some  manuscripts  from  an  ancient  source,  and  found 
either  after  John  7.  $jf  or  after  Luke  21.  j8.) 

[And  every  one  went  home  except  Jesus,  who  went  to  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  But  he  went  again  into  the  Temple 

Courts  early  in  the  morning,  and  all  the  people  came  to  him  ; 
and  he  sat  down  and  taught  them.  Presently,  how- 

ever, the  Teachers  of  the  Law  and  the  Pharisees  brought  a' 
woman  who  had  been  caught  in  adultery,  and  placed  her  in  the 
middle  of  the  Court,  and  said  to  Jesus  : 

"Teacher,  this  woman  was  found  in  the  very  act  of  adultery. 
Now  Moses,  in  the  Law,  commanded  us  to  stone1  such  women 
to  death  ;  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

They  said  this  to  test  him,  in  order  to  have  a  charge  to  bring 
against  him.  But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  wrote  on  the 
ground  with  his  finger.  However,  as  they  continued  asking 
him,  he  raised  himself,  and  said  : 

"  Let  the  man  among  you  who  has  never  done  wrong  throw 
the  first  stone  at  her." 

And  again  he  stooped  down,  and  wrote  on  the  ground.  When 
they  heard  that,  they  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  with  the 
eldest ;  and  Jesus  was  left  alone  with  the  woman  in  the  middle 
of  the  Court.  Raising  himself,  Jesus  said  to  her  : 

"  Woman,  where  .are  they  ?     Did  no  one  condemn  you  ?  " 

"  No  one,  Sir,"  she  answered. 

"  Neither  do  I  condemn  you,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  go,  and  do  not 
sin  again."] 

1  Deut.  za.  24. 


THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


THE    ACTS    OF    THE    APOSTLES. 


COMPILED   AT   ROME   AT  AN    UNCERTAIN    DATE 
LATER    THAN    64  A.D. 


THIS  Book  contains  an  account  of  the  principal  events  in 
the  first  years  of  the  Church's  history  after  the  Ascension  of 
Jesus  into  Heaven.  These  events  group  themselves  round  the 
names  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul ;  and  in  this  Book  the  first 
twelve  chapters  relate  mainly  St.  Peter's  work  among  Jews, 
and  the  last  sixteen  St.  Paul's  work  among  people  of  other 
nations.  The  history  ends  with  the  imprisonment  of  the  latter 
in  Rome. 

There  is  strong  support  for  the  view  that  St.  Luke  was  the 
author  or  compiler  of  the  Book,  and  (from  the  use  of  the  pro- 
noun "we  "in  several  sections)  that  he  took  part  in  many  of 
the  events  related. 


THE    ACTS    OF    THE 
APOSTLES. 


I. — THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  JEWS. 
Doings  of  the  Apostles   Peter  and  John, 

The  first  account  which  I  drew  up,  Theophilus,     i 
"'  dealt  with  all  that  Jesus  did  and  taught  from 
the  very  first,  down  to  that  day  on  which  he  was  taken  up  to     2 
Heaven,  after  he  had,  by  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  given  in- 
structions to  the  Apostles  whom  he  had  chosen.     With  abun-    3 
dant  proofs,  he  showed  himself  to  them,  still  living,  after  his 
death ;  appearing  to  them  from  time  to  time  during  forty  days, 
and  speaking  of  all  that  related  to  the  Kingdom  of  God.    And     4 
once,  when  he  had  gathered  them  together,  he  charged  them 
not  to  leave  Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  there  for  the  fulfilment  of 
the  Father's  promise — "that  promise,"  he  said,   "of  which 
you  have  heard  me  speak ;    for,   while  John  baptized  with     5 
water,  you  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit  before  many 
days  have  passed." 

Ascension        So,  when  the  Apostles  had  met  together,  they    6 

of  Jesus,     asked  Jesus  this  question — 

"  Master,  is  this  the  time  when  you  intend  to  re-establish  the 
Kingdom  for  Israel  ?  " 
His  answer  was  :  7 

"It  is  not  for  you  to  know  times  or  hours,  for  the  Father 
has  reserved  these  for  his  own  decision  ;  but  you  shall  receive  8 
power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  have  descended  upon  you, 
and  shall  be  witnesses  for  me  not  only  in  Jerusalem,  but 
throughout  Judaea  and  Samaria,  and  td  the  ends  of  the 
earth." 

No  sooner  had  Jesus  said  this  than  he  was  caught  up  before    9 
their  eyes,  and  a  cloud  received  him  from  their  sight.     While     10 
they  were   still   gazing   up   into   the   heavens,  as   he   went, 
suddenly  two  men,  clothed  in  white,  stood  beside  them,  and     u 
said  : 

"  Men  of  Galilee,  why  are  you  standing  here  looking  up  into 
the  heavens  ?    This  very  Jesus,  who  has  been  taken  from  you 

*  Dan.  2.  44. 


214  THE  ACTS,  1. 

into  the  heavens,  will  come  in  the  very  way  in  which  you  have 
seen  him  go  into  the  heavens." 
The  Apostles      Then  the  Apostles  returned  to  Jerusalem  from     12 

in  the  hill  called  Olivet,  which  is  about  three  quarters 

Jerusalem.   of  ^  mile  From  the  city. 

When  they  reached  Jerusalem,  they  went  to  the  upstairs     13 
room,   where  they  were  staying.      There  were  there  Peter, 
John,  James,  and  Andrew,  Philip  and  Thomas,  Bartholomew 
and  Matthew,  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  Simon  the  Zealot, 
and  Judas  the  son  of  James.     They  all  united  in  devoting     14 
themselves  to  Prayer,  and  so  did  some  women,  and  Mary,  the 
mother  of  Jesus,  and  his  brothers. 


Appointment      About  this  time,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Brethren,     15 
of          when  there  were  about  a  hundred  and  twenty 

Matthias,     present,  Peter  rose  to  speak. 

"  Brothers,"  he  said,  "  it  was  necessary  that  the  prediction     16 
of  Scripture  should  be  fulfilled,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  made  by 
the  lips  of  David  about  Judas,  who  acted  as  guide  to  the  men 
that  arrested  Jesus,  for  he  was  one  of  our  number  and  had  his     17 
part  allotted  him  in  this  work  of  ours." 

(This  man  had  bought  a  piece  of  land  with  the  price  of  his     18 
treachery  ;  and,  falling  heavily,  his  body  had  burst  open,  and  all 
his  bowels  protruded.     This  became  known  to  every  one  living     19 
in  Jerusalem,  so  that  the  field  came  to  be  called,  in  their  lan- 
guage, '  Akeldama,'  which  means  the  '  Field  of  Blood.') 

"For  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,"  Peter  continued,  "it  is  said —    20 

'  Let  his  dwelling-  become  desolate, 
And  let  no  one  live  in  it ' ; 
and  also — 

'  His  office  let  another  take.' 

Therefore,  from  among  the  men  who  have  been  with  us  all  the    21 
time  that  Jesus,  our  Master,  went  in  and  out  among  us — 
from  his  baptism  by  John  down  to  that  day  on  which  he  was     22 
taken   from   us — s<5me   one  must  be  found   to  join  us  as  a 
witness  of  his  resurrection." 

So  they  put  forward  two  men,  Joseph  called  Barsabas,  whose  23 
other  name  was  Justus,  and  Matthias  ;  and  they  offered  this  24 
prayer — 

"O  Lord,  who  readest  all  hearts,  show 
which  of  these  two  men  thou  hast  chosen  to 
take  the  place  in  this  apostolic  work,  which  25 

Judas   has   abandoned,   to   go   to  his   proper 
place." 

'•"  Ps.  fg.  15 ;  Ps.  109.  8.    '•»  Num.  24.  25. 


THE  ACTS,  1-2.  215 

Then  they  drew  lots  between  them  ;  and,  the  lot  having  fallen     26 
on  Matthias,  he  was  added   to   the   number  of  the  eleven 
Apostles. 


The  Gift  of       I"  ^ie  course  °f  the  Festival  at  the  close  of  the     i 
the          Harvest  the  disciples  had  all  met  together,  when     2 
Holy  spirit,  suddenly  there  came  from  the  heavens  a  noise 
like  that  of  a  strong  wind  rushing  by  ;  it  filled  the  whole  house 
in  which  they  were  sitting.     Then  there  appeared  tongues  of    3 
what  seemed  to  be  flame,  separating,  so  that  one  settled  on 
each  of  them  ;  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,     4 
and   began   to   speak   with  strange   'tongues'  as  the  Spirit 
prompted  their  utterances. 

Now  there  were  then  staying  in  Jerusalem  religious  Jews     5 
from  every  country  in  the  world  ;  and,  when  this  sound  was     6 
heard,  numbers  of  people  collected,  in  the  greatest  excitement, 
because  each  of  them  heard  the  disciples  speaking  in  his  own 
language.      They  were  utterly  amazed,  and  kept  asking  in     7 
astonishment : 

"What!     Are  not  all  these  men  who  are  speaking  Gali- 
leans ?     Then  how  is  it  that  we  each  of  us  hear  them  in  our    8 
own  native  language  ?      Some   of  us   are    Parthians,   some     9 
Medes,  some  Elamites  ;  and  some  of  us  live  in  Mesopotamia, 
in  Judaea  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and  Roman  Asia,  in     10 
Phrygia  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt  and  the  districts  of  Libya 
adjoining  Cyrene  ;  some  of  us  are  visitors  from  Rome,  either 
Jews  by  birth  or  converts,  and  some  are  Cretans  and  Ara-     n 
bians — yet  we  all  alike  hear  them  speaking  in  our  own  tongues 
of  the  great  things  that  God  has  done." 
They  were  all  utterly  amazed  and  bewildered.  12 

"  What  does  it  mean  ?  "  they  asked  one  another. 
But  there  were  some  who  said  with  a  sneer  :  "  They  have  had     13 
too  much  new  wine." 

Peter's  Then  Peter,  surrounded   by  the  eleven  other     14 

Addre<M».      Apostles,  stood  up,  and,  raising  his  voice,  ad- 
dressed the  crowd. 

"  Men  of  Judaea,"  he  began,  "  and  all  you  who  are  staying 
in  Jerusalem,  let  me  tell  you  what  this  means.     Mark  well 
my  words.    These  men  are  not  drunk,  as  you  suppose ;  for  it  is     15 
only  now  nine  in  the  morning  !     No  !     This  is  what  is  spoken     16 
of  in  the  prophet  Joel — 

'It  shall  come  about  in  the  last  days,'  God  says,  17 

'  That  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  on  all  mankind  ; 
Your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  become  Prophets, 
Your  young  men  shall  see  visions, 
And  your  old  men  dream  dreams  ; 

"  Joel  2.  28. 


216  THE  ACTS,  2. 

Yes,  even  on  the  slaves — for  they  are  mine — both  men  and         18 

women, 
I  will  in  those  days  pour  out  my  Spirit, 

And  they  shall  become  Prophets  ; 

And  I  will  show  wonders  in  the  heavens  above,  19 

And  signs  on  the  earth  below — 

Blood  and  fire  and  mist  of  smoke  ; 

The  sun  shall  become  darkness,  20 

And  the  moon  blood-red, 

Before  the  Day  of  the  Lord  comes — that  great  and  awful 

day. 

Then  shall  every  one  who  invokes  the  Name  of  the  Lord         21 
be  saved.' 

Men  of  Israel,  listen  to  what  I  am  saying.    Jesus  of  Nazareth,     22 
a  man  whose  mission  from  God  to  you  was  proved  by  miracles, 
wonders,  and  signs,  which  God  showed  among  you  through 
him,  as  you  know  full  well — he,  I  say,  in  accordance  with     23 
God's  definite  plan  and  with  his   previous  knowledge,  was 
betrayed,  and  you,  by  the  hands  of  lawless  men,  nailed  him 
to  a  cross  and  put  him  to  death.     But  God  released  him  from     24 
the  pangs  of  death  and  raised  him  to  life,  it  being  impossible 
for  death  to  retain  its  hold  upon  him.     Indeed  it  was  to  him     25 
that  David  was  referring  when  he  said — 

'  I  have  had  the  Lord  ever  before  my  eyes, 

For  he  stands  at  my  right  hand,  that  I  should  not  be  disquieted. 
Therefore  my  heart  was  cheered,  and  my  tongue  told  its  delight ;      26 

Yes,  even  my  body,  too,  will  rest  in  hope  ; 
For  thou  wilt  not  abandon  my  soul  to  the  Place  of  Death,  27 

Nor  surrender  me,  thy  holy  one,  to  undergo  corruption. 
Thou  hast  shown  me  the  path  to  life,  28 

Thou  wilt  fill  me  with  gladness  in  thy  presence.' 

Brothers,  I  can  speak  to  you  the  more  confidently  about  the    29 
Patriarch  David,  because  he  is  dead  and  buried,  and  his  tomb 
is  here  among  us  to  this  very  day.     David,  then,  Prophet  as     30 
he  was,  knowing  that  God  '  had  solemnly  sworn  to  him  to  set 
one  of  his  descendants  upon  his  throne,'  looked  into  the  future,     31 
and  referred  to  the  resurrection  of  the  Christ  when  he  said 
that  '  he  had  not  been  abandoned  to  the  Place  of  Death,  nor 
had   his   body   undergone  corruption.'      It   was    this   Jesus,     32 
whom  God  raised  to  life  ;  and  of  that  we  are  ourselves  all 
witnesses.     And  now  that  he  has  been  exalted  to  the  right    33 
hand  of  God,  and  has  received  from  the  Father  the  promised 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  has  begun  to  pour  out  that  gift,  as 
you  yourselves  now  see  and  hear.      It  was  not  David  who    34 
went  up  into  Heaven  ;  for  he  himself  says — 

'  The  Lord  said  to  my  master :  "Sit  on  my  right  hand, 
Till  I  put  thy  enemies  as  a  footstool  under  thy  feet." '  35 

W-»  Joel  a.  *)-3*.    »-*  Ps.  16.  8-n.    *>  Ps.  i3a.  n.    »*-»  Ps.  no.  i. 


THE  ACTS,  2-3.  217 

So  let  the  whole  nation  of  Israel  know  beyond  all  doubt,  that    36 
God  has  made  him  both  Lord  and  Christ — this  very  Jesus 
whom  you  crucified." 

When  the  people  heard  this,  they  were  conscience-smitten,     37 
and  said  to  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  Apostles  : 

"  Brothers,  what  can  we  do  ?  " 

"Repent,"  answered   Peter,    "and  be  baptized  every  one     38 
of  you  in  the   Faith   of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  forgiveness  of 
your  sins  ;    and  then  you  will  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     For  the  promise  is  for  you  and  for  your  children,  and     39 
also  for  all  those  now  far  away,  who  may  be  called  by  the 
Lord  our  God." 

With  many  other  words  Peter  enforced  his  teaching,  while    40 
the  burden  of  his  exhortations  was — "  Save  yourselves  from 
the  perverse  spirit  of  this  age."  So  those  who  accepted     41 

his  teaching  were  baptized,  and  about  three  thousand  people 
joined  the  disciples  on  that  day  alone.     They  devoted  them-    42 
selves  to  the  teaching  of  the  Apostles  and  to  the  Common 
Life  of  the  Church,  to  the  Breaking  of  the  Bread  and  to  the 
Prayers. 

A  deep  impression  was  made  upon  every  one,     43 

Ea<>!rrthey*    ana<  many  wonders  and  signs  were  done  at  the 

Christian     hands  of  the  Apostles.     All  who  became  believers    44 
society.       jn  Christ  held  everything  for  the  common  use  ; 
they  sold  their  property  and  their  goods,  and  shared  the  pro-    45 
ceeds  among  them  all,  according  to  their  individual  needs. 
Every  day  they  devoted  themselves  to  meeting  together  in  the    46 
Temple  Courts,  and  to  the  Breaking  of  Bread  at  their  homes, 
while  they  partook  of  their  food  in  simple-hearted  gladness, 
praising  God,  and  winning  the  good-will  of  all  the  people.     47 
And  the  Lord  daily  added  to  their  company  those  who  were 
in  the  path  of  Salvation. 


Cure  One  day,  as  Peter  and  John  were  going  up  into     i 

or  »  lame     the  Temple  Courts  for  the  three  o'clock  Prayers, 

••Mar.      a  man,  who  had  been  lame  from  his  birth,  was     2 
being  carried  by.     This  man  used  to  be  set  down  every  day  at 
the  gate  of  the  Temple  called  'the  Beautiful  Gate,'  to  beg  of 
those  who  went  in.     Seeing  Peter  and  John  on  the  point  of    3 
entering,  he  asked  them  to  give  him  something.     Peter  fixed     4 
his  eyes  on  him,  and  so  did  John,  and  then  Peter  said :  "Look 
at  us." 

The  man  was  all  attention,  expecting  to  get  something  from     5 
them  ;  but  Peter  added  :  6 

"  I  have  no  gold  or  silver,  but  I  give  you  what  I  have.     In 
the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  I  bid  you  walk." 
Grasping  the  lame  man  by  the  right  hand,  Peter  lifted  him  up.     7 

89  Dan.  9.  7 ;  Joel  a.  32. 


218  THE  ACTS,  8. 

Instantly  the  man's  feet  and  ankles  became  strong,  and,  leaping    8 
up,  he  stood  and  began  to  walk  about,  and  then  went  with  them 
into  the  Temple  Courts,  walking,  and  leaping,  and  praising 
God.     All  the  people  saw  him  walking  about  and  praising     9 
God  ;  and,  when  they  recognized  him  as  the  man  who  used  to     10 
sit  begging  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the  Temple,  they  were 
utterly  astonished  and  amazed  at  what  had  happened  to  him. 

While  the  man  still  clung  to  Peter  and  John,  the  people  all     u 
quickly  gathered  round  them  in  the  Colonnade  named  after 
Solomon,  in  the  greatest  astonishment.     On  seeing  this,  Peter     12 
said  to  the  people  : 

Peter'*  "  ^en  °^  Israel,  wny  are  you  surprised  at  this  ? 

Addres/in    and  why  do  you  stare  at  us,  as  though  we,  by 
the  Temple.  any  power  or  piety  of  our  own,  had  enabled  this 
man  to  walk  ?     The  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  the     13 
God  of  our  ancestors,  has  done  honour  to  his  Servant  Jesus — 
him  whom  you  gave  up  and  disowned  before  Pilate,  when 
he  had  decided  to  set  him  free.     You,  I  say,  disowned  the     14 
Holy  and   Righteous  One,   and  asked  for  the  release  of  a 
murderer !     The  very  Guide  to  Life  you  put  to  death  !     But     15 
God  raised  him  from  the  dead — and  of  that  we  are  ourselves 
witnesses.     And  it  is  by  faith  in  the  Name  of  Jesus,  that  this     16 
man,  whom  you  all  see  and  know,  has — by  his  Name — been 
made  strong.     Yes,  it  is  the  faith  inspired  by  Jesus  that  has 
made  this  complete  cure  of  the  man,  before  the  eyes  of  you 
all.     And  yet,  my  Brothers,  I  know  that  you  acted  as  you  did     17 
from  ignorance,  and  your  rulers  also.     But  it  was  in  this  way     18 
that  God  fulfilled  all  that  he  had  long  ago  foretold,  as  to  the 
sufferings  of  his  Christ,  by  the  lips  of  all  the  Prophets.     There-     19 
fore,  repent  and  turn,  that  your  sins  may  be  wiped  away  ;  so 
that  happier  times  may  come  from  the  Lord  himself,  and  that     20 
he  may  send  you,  in  Jesus,  your  long-appointed  Christ.     But     21 
Heaven  must  be  his  home,  until  the  days  of  the  Universal 
Restoration,  of  which  God  has  spoken  by  the  lips  of  his  holy 
Prophets  from  the  very  first.     Moses  himself  said —  22 

4  The  Lord  your  God  will  raise  up  from  among  your  brothers 
a  Prophet,  as  he  raised  me.     To  him  you  will  listen  when- 
ever he  speaks  to  you.     And  it  shall  be  that  should  any  one         23 
among  the  people  not  listen  to  that  Prophet,  he  will  be  utterly 
destroyed.' 

Yes,  and  all  the  Prophets  from  Samuel  onwards,  and  all  their     24 
successors  who  had  a  message  to  deliver,  told  of  these  days. 
You  yourselves  are  the  heirs  of  the  Prophets,  and  heirs,  too,  of    25 
the  Covenant  which  God  made  with  your  ancestors,  when  he 
said  to  Abraham — 

'  In  your  descendants  will  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.' 

U  Exod.  3.  15 ;  laa.  53.  13.     "  Enoch  38.  a.     21  Mai.  4.  6.    *J-29  Deut.  18.  15—19 ; 
Lev.  23.  39.     '•*  Gen.  13.  3. 


THE  ACTS,  3-4.  219 

For  you,  first,  God  raised  up  his  Servant,  and  sent  him  to  bless  26 
you,  by  turning  each  one  of  you  from  his  wicked  ways." 

Peter  and         While  Peter  and  John  were  still  speaking  to     i    « 
John  before  the  people,  the  Chief  Priests,  with  the  Officer  in 
the  council,  charge  at  the  Temple  and  the  Sadducees,  came 
up  to  them,  much  annoyed  because  they  were  teaching  the     2 
people,  and  because,  through  Jesus,  they  were  preaching  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead.     They  arrested  the  Apostles  and,     3 
as  it  was  already  evening,  had  them  placed  in  custody  till  the 
next  day.    Many,  however,  of  those  who  had  heard  the  Apostles'     4 
Message  became  believers  in  Christ,  the  number  of  the  men 
alone  amounting  to  about  five  thousand. 

The  next  day,  a  meeting  of  the  leading  men,  the  Councillors,     5 
and  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  was  held  in  Jerusalem.     There     6 
were  present  Annas  the  High  Priest,  Caiaphas,  John,  Alex- 
ander, and  all  who  were  of  High-Priestly  rank.      They  had     7 
Peter  and  John  brought  before  them,  and  questioned  them. 

"By  what  power,"  they  asked,  "or  in  whose  name  have 
men  like  you  done  this  thing  ?  " 
On  this,  Peter,  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  spoke  as  follows  :       8 

"Leaders  of  the  people  and  Councillors,  since  we  are  on     9 
our  trial  to-day  for  a  kind  act  done  to  a  helpless  man,  and 
are  asked  in  what  way  the  man  here  before  you  has  been 
cured,  let  me  tell  you  all  and  all  the  people  of  Israel,  that     10 
it  is  by  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom  you 
crucified  and  whom  God  raised  from  the  dead— it  is,  I  say, 
by  his  Name  that  this  man  stands  here  before  you  lame  no 
longer.      Jesus  is    'the   stone   which,    scorned    by    you    the     n 
builders,  has  yet  become  the  corner  stone.'     And  Salvation     12 
is  in  him  alone  ;    for  there  is  no  other  Name  in  the  whole 
world,  given  to  men,  to  which  we  must  look  for  our  Salva- 
tion." 

When  the  Council  saw  how  boldly  Peter  and  John  spoke,  and     13 
found  that  they  were  uneducated  men  of  humble  station,  they 
were  surprised,  and  realized  that  they  had  been  companions  of 
Jesus.    But,  when  they  looked  at  the  man  who  had  been  healed,     14 
standing  there  with  them,  they  had  nothing  to  say.     So  they     15 
ordered  them  out  of  court,  and  then  began  consulting  together. 

1 '  What  are  we  to  do  to  these  men  ?  "  they  asked  one  another.     16 
"That  a  remarkable  sign  has  been  given  through  them  is 
obvious  to  every  one  living  in  Jerusalem,  and  we  cannot  deny 
it.     But,  to  prevent  this  thing  from  spreading  further  among     17 
the  people,  let  us  warn  them  not  to  speak  in  this  Name  any 
more  to  any  one  whatever." 

So  they  called  the  Apostles  in,  and  ordered  them  not  to  18 
speak  or  teach  in  the  Name  of  Jesus.  But  Peter  and  John  19 
replied  : 

11  Ps.  118.  21—22.     12  Enoch  4.  2. 


220  THE  ACTS,  4. 

"Whether  it  is  right,  in  the  sight  of  God,  to  listen  to  you 
rather  than  to  him — judge  for  yourselves,  for  we  cannot  help     20 
speaking  of  what  we  have  seen  and  heard." 

However,   after  further  warnings,   the  Council  set  them  at     21 
liberty,  not  seeing  any  safe  way  of  punishing  them,  because 
of  the  people,  for  they  were  all  praising  God  for  what  had 
occurred  ;    for  the  man  who  was  the  subject  of  this  miracu-     22 
lous  cure  was  more  than  forty  years  old. 

After  they  had  been  set  at  liberty,  the  Apostles  went  to  their     23 
friends  and  told  them  what  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Councillors 
had  said  to  them.     All  who  heard  their  story,  moved  by  a     24 
common  impulse,  raised  their  voices  to  God  in  prayer  : 

"O  Sovereign  Lord,  it  is  thou  who  hast 
'  made  the  heavens,  the  earth,  the  sea,  and 
everything  that  is  in  them,'  and  who,  by  the  25 

lips  of  our  ancestor,  thy  servant  David,  who 
spoke  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
hast  said — 

'  Why  did  the  nations  rage, 

And  the  peoples  form  vain  designs  ? 

The  king's  of  the  earth  set  their  array,  26 

And  its  rulers  gathered  together, 

Against  the  Lord  and  against  his  Christ.' 

There  have  indeed  gathered  together  in  this  27 

city  against  thy  holy  Servant  Jesus,  whom 
thou  hast  consecrated  the  Christ,  not  Herod 
and  Pontius  Pilate  only,  but  the  nations  and 
the  people  of  Israel  besides — yet  only  to  do  28 

what  thou,  by  thy  power  and  of  thy  own  will, 
didst  long  ago  destine  to  be  done.  Now,  29 

therefore,  O  Lord,  mark  their  threats,  and 
enable  thy  servants,  with  all  fearlessness,  to 
tell  thy  Message,  while  thou  stretchest  out  30 

thy  hand  to  heal,  and  causest  signs  and  won- 
ders to  take  place  through  the  Name  of  thy 
holy  Servant  Jesus." 

When  their  prayer  was  ended,  the  place  in  which  they  were     31 
assembled  was  shaken  ;    and   they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  began  to  tell  God's  Message  fearlessly. 


The  Tne  wh°le   body  of  those  who  had   become     32 

common      believers  in  Christ  were  of  one  heart  and  mind. 
Fund.         Not  one  of  them  claimed  any  of  his  goods  as  his 

WExod.  ao.  ii.     !»-a>P..  a.  i. 


THE  ACTS,  4-5.  221 

own,  but  everything  was  held  for  the  common  use.      The     33 
Apostles  continued  with  great  power  to  bear  their  testimony 
to  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus,   and  God's   blessing 
rested  upon  them  all  abundantly.      Nor  was  there  any  one     34 
in  need  among  them,  for  all  who  were  owners  of  land  or 
houses  sold  them,  and  brought  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  and 
laid  them  at  the  Apostles'  feet ;  and  then  every  one  received     35 
a   share    in    proportion    to    his    wants.  A   Levite   of    36 

Cyprian  birth,   named  Joseph,   (who  had  received  from  the 
Apostles  the  additional  name  of  '  Barnabas ' — which  means 
'  The  Consoler, ')  sold  a  farm  that  belonged  to  him,  and  brought    37 
the  money  and  laid  it  at  the  Apostles'  feet. 

punishment  o*    There  was,  however,  a  man  named  Ananias,     i 
Ananias  and  who,  with  his  wife  Sapphira,  sold  some  property, 

Sapphira.     ancj)  with  her  connivance,  kept  back  some  of  the     2 
proceeds.     He  brought  only  a  part  and  laid  it  at  the  Apostles' 
feet. 

"Ananias,"  Peter  exclaimed,  "how  is  it  that  Satan  has  so     3 
taken  possession  of  your  heart  that  you  have  lied  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  kept  back  a  part  of  the  money  paid  for  the  land  ? 
While  it  was  unsold,  was  not  it  your  own  ?  and  after  it  was     4 
sold,  was  not  the  money  at  your  own  disposal  ?     How  did 
you  come  to  think  of  such  a  thing?     You  have  lied,  not  to 
men,  but  to  God  !  " 

As  Ananias  heard  these  words,  he  fell  down  and  expired ;  and  5 
every  one  who  heard  of  it  was  appalled.  The  young  men  got  6 
up,  and,  winding  the  body  in  a  sheet,  carried  it  out  and  buried  it. 

After  an  interval  of  about  three  hours  his  wife  came  in,  not    7 
knowing  what  had  happened. 

"Is  it  true,"  Peter  asked,  addressing  her,  "that  you  sold     8 
your  land  for  such  a  sum  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  we  did." 

Then  Peter  said  :  "  How  did  you  come  to  agree  to  provoke    9 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?     Listen  !    The  foot-steps  of  those  who 
have  buried  your  husband  are  at  the  door ;   and  they  will 
carry  you  out  too." 

Instantly  Sapphira  fell  down  at  Peter's  feet  and  expired.     On     10 
coming  in,  the  young  men  found  her  dead ;  so  they  carried  her 
out  and  buried  her  by  her  husband's  side.  The  whole     n 

Church  and  all  who  heard  of  these  events  were  appalled. 


Many  signs  and  wonders  continued  to  occur     12 

Miracles  done  ,t  i        *«  <      .1        •  ^    »•* 

by  the        among  the  people,  through  the  instrumentality 
Apostles.      Of  the  Apostles,  whose  custom  it  was  to  meet  all 
together  in  the  Colonnade  of  Solomon  ;  but  of  the  rest  no  one     13 
ventured  to  join  them.     On  the  other  hand,  the  people  were 
full  of  their  praise,  and  still  larger  numbers,  both  of  men  and     14 


222  THE  ACTS,  5. 

women,  as  they  became  believers  in  the  Lord,  were  added  to 
their  number.     The  consequence  was  that  people  would  bring     15 
out  their  sick  even  into  the  streets,  and  lay  them  on  mattresses 
and  mats,  in  the  hope  that,  as  Peter  came  by,  at  least  his 
shadow  might  fall  on  some  one  of  them.     Besides  this,  the     16 
inhabitants  of  the  towns  round  Jerusalem  flocked  into  the  city, 
bringing  with  them  their  sick  and  those  who  were  troubled  by 
foul  spirits  ;  and  they  were  cured  every  one. 

At  this  the  High  Priest  was  roused  to  action,     17 
.totm'again    an^  ne  an^  all  his  supporters  (who  formed  the 
before        party   of    the    Sadducees),    moved    by  jealousy, 
the  council,  arrested  the  Apostles,  and  had  them  placed  in     18 
custody.  An  angel  of  the  Lord,  however,  opened  the     19 

prison  doors  at  night  and  led  them  out. 

"Go,"  he  said,  "and  stand  in  the  Temple  Courts,  and  tell     20 
the  people  the  whole  Message  of  this  new  Life." 
When  they  heard  this,  they  went  at  daybreak  into  the  Temple     21 
Courts,  and  began  to  teach.  The  High  Priest  and  his 

party,  on  their  arrival,  summoned  the  High  Council,  including 
all  the  leading  men  among  the  Israelites,  and  sent  to  the  gaol 
to  fetch  the  Apostles.      But,  when  the'  officers  got  there,  they     22 
did  not  find  them   in  the  prison  ;   so  they  returned  and  re- 
ported that,  while  they  had  found  the  gaol  barred  securely     23 
and  the  guards  posted  at  the  doors,  yet,  on  opening  them, 
they  had  not  found  any  one  inside.     When  the  Officer  in     24 
charge  at  the  Temple  and  the  Chief  Priests  heard  their  story, 
they  were  perplexed  about  the  Apostles  and  as  to  what  all  this 
would  lead  to.  Presently,  however,  some  one  came  and     25 

told  them,  that  the  men  whom  they  had  put  in  prison  were  ac- 
tually standing  in  the  Temple  Courts,  teaching  the  people.     On     26 
this,  the  Officer  went  with  his  men  and  fetched  the  Apostles' — 
without  using  violence,  for  they  were  afraid  of  being  stoned 
by  the  people — and  then  brought  them  before  the  Council.     27 
The  High  Priest  demanded  an  explanation  from  them. 

"  We  gave  you  strict  orders,"  he  said,  "  not  to  teach  in  this     28 
Name.     Yet  you  have  actually  flooded  Jerusalem  with  your 
teaching,  and  you  wajit  to  make  us  responsible  for  the  death 
of  this  man." 
To  this  Peter  and  the  Apostles  replied  :  29 

"We  must  obey  God  rather  than  men.     The  God  of  our    30 
ancestors  raised  Jesus,  whom  you  put  to  death  by  hanging 
him  on  a  cross.      It  is  this  Jesus  whom  God  has  exalted  to     31 
his  right  hand,  to  be  a  Guide  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  Israel 
repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins.     And  we  are  witnesses  to     32 
the  truth  of  this,  and  so  is  the  Holy  Spirit — the  gift  of  God  to 
those  who  obey  him." 
The  members  of  the  Council  became  frantic  with  rage  on  hearing    33 


THE  ACTS,  5-6.  223 

this,  and  were  for  putting  the  Apostles  to  death.  But     34 

Gamaliel,  a  Pharisee,  who  was  a  Doctor  of  the  Law  and 
who  was  held  in  universal  respect,  rose  in  the  Council,  and 
directed  that  the  men  should  be  taken  out  of  court  for  a  little 
while.  He  then  said  :  35 

"  Men  of  Israel,  take  care  as  to  what  you  intend  to  do  with 
these  men.     For  not  long  ago  Theudas  appeared,  professing    36 
to  be  somebody,  and  was  joined  by  a  body  of  some  four  hun- 
dred men.     But  he  was  killed  ;  and  all  his  followers  scattered 
and  dwindled  away.     After  him,  Judas  the  Galilean  appeared     37 
at  the  time  of  the  census,  and  induced  people  to  follow  him  ; 
yet  he,  too,  perished  and  all  his  followers  were  dispersed.     And,     38 
in  this  present  case,  my  advice  to  you  is  not  to  interfere  with 
these  men,  but  to  let  them  alone,  for,  if  their  designs  and 
their  work  are  merely  of  human  origin,  they  will  come  to  an 
end  ;  but,  if  they  are  of  divine  origin,  you  will  be  powerless  to     39 
put  an  end  to  them — or  else  you  may  find  yourselves  fighting 
against  God  ! " 

The  Council  followed  his  advice,  and,  calling  the  Apostles  in,     40 
had  them  flogged,  and  then,  after  cautioning  them  not  to  speak 
in  the  Name  of  Jesus,  set  them  free.  But  the  Apostles    41 

left  the  Council,  rejoicing  that  they  had  been  thought  worthy 
to  suffer  disgrace  for  that  Name  ;  and  never  for  a  single  day,     42 
either  in  the  Temple  Courts  or  in  private  houses,  did  they 
cease  to  teach,  or  to  tell  the  Good  News  of  Jesus,  the  Christ. 


.       .  .        .      About  this  time,  when  the  number  of  the  disci-     i 

Appointment      ,  '  .  ,     . 

or          pies  was  constantly  increasing,  complaints  were 
'The  seven.'  made  by  the  Jews  of  foreign  birth  against  the 
native  Jews,  that  their  widows  were  being  overlooked  in  the 
daily  distribution.     The  Twelve,  therefore,  called  together  the     2 
general  body  of  the  disciples  and  said  to  them  : 

"  It  is  not  well  for  us  to  see  to"  the  distribution  at  the  tables 
and  neglect  God's  Message.     Therefore,  Brothers,  look  for    3 
seven  men  of  reputation  among  yourselves,  wise  and  spiri- 
tually-minded men,  and  we  will  appoint  them  to  attend  to 
this  matter  ;  while  we,  for  our  part,  will  devote  ourselves  to    4 
Prayer,  and  to  the  delivery  of  the  Message." 

This  proposal  was  unanimously  agreed  to  ;  and  the  disciples     5 
chose  Stephen — a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit — and 
Philip,  Prochorus,  Nicanor,  Timon,  Parmenas,  and  Nicholas 
of  Antioch,  a  former  convert  to  Judaism ;  and  they  brought    6 
these  men  to  the  Apostles,  who,  after  praying,  placed  their 
hands  on  them. 

So  God's  Message  spread,  and  the  number  of  the  disciples    7 


224  THE  ACTS,  6—7. 

continued  to  increase  rapidly  in  Jerusalem,  and  a  large  body 
of  the  priests  accepted  the  Faith. 

sto  hen's        Meanwhile  Stephen,  divinely  helped  and  streng-    8 
Ministry'and  thened,  was  showing  great  wonders  and  signs 

Trial.        among  the  people.  But  some  members    9 

of  the  Synagogue  known  as  that  of  Libertines,  Cyrenians, 
Alexandrians,  and  Visitors  from  Cilicia  and  Roman  Asia,  were 
roused  to  action  and  began  disputing  with  Stephen  ;  yet  they     10 
were  quite  unable  to  withstand  the  wisdom  and  the  inspira- 
tion with  which  he  spoke.     Then  they  induced  some  men  to     n 
assert  that  they  had  heard  Stephen  saying  blasphemous  things 
against  Moses,  and  against  God  ;   and  they  stirred  up  the     12 
people,  as  well  as  the  Councillors  and  the  Teachers  of  the 
Law,  and  set  upon  Stephen,  and  arrested  him,  and  brought 
him  before  the  High  Council.     There  they  produced  witnesses     13 
who  gave  false  evidence. 

"This   man,"    they  said,    "is    incessantly   saying  things 
against  this  Holy  Place  and  the  Law  ;  indeed,  we  have  heard     14 
him  declare  that  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  will  destroy  this  Place, 
and  change  the  customs  handed  down  to  us  by  Moses." 
The  eyes  of  all  the  members  of  the  Council  were  riveted  upon     15 
Stephen,  and  they  saw  his  face  looking  like  the  face  of  an 
angel. 

Stephen's        Then  the  High  Priest  asked  :  "  Is  this  true  ?"     i 
Defence.     And,  upon  that,  Stephen  spoke  as  follows  :  2 

"  Brothers  and  Fathers,  hear  what  I  have  to  say.  God, 

who   manifests  himself  in  the  Glory,    appeared  to   our  an- 
cestor Abraham,  when  he  was  in  Mesopotamia,  and  before 
he  settled  in  Haran,  and  said  to  him — '  Leave  your  country     3 
and  your  kindred,  and  come  into  the  country  that  I  will  show 
you.'     On  this,  Abraham  left  the  country  of  the  Chaldaeans     4 
and  settled  in  Haran  ;  and  from  there,  after  his  father's  death, 
God  caused  him  to  migrate  into  this  very  country,  in  which 
you  are  now  living.     God  did  not  at  that  time  give  him  any    5 
part  of  it,  not  even  a  foot  of  ground.     But  he  promised  to 
'  give  him  possession  of  it  and  his  descendants  after  him,' 
though  at  that  time  he  had  no  child.      God's  words  were    6 
these — '  Abraham's  descendants  shall  live  in  a  foreign  country, 
where  they  will  be  enslaved  and  ill-treated  for  four  hundred 
years.     But  I  myself  will  judge  the  nation,  to  which  they  will     7 
be  enslaved,'  God  said,  'and  after  that  they  shall  leave  the 
country  and  worship  me  in  this  place.''     Then  God  made  with     8 
Abraham  the  Covenant  of  Circumcision  ;  and  under  it  Abraham 
became  the  father  of  Isaac,  and  circumcised  him  when  he  was 
eight  days  old  ;   and  Isaac  became  the  father  of  Jacob  ;   and 

*  P§.  at).  3.      *  Gen.  ia.  i.       •  Deut.  a.  5  ;   Gen.  17.  8.      *— 7  Gen.  15.  13—14. 
*  Exod.  3.  13.    8  Gen.  7.  10;  ai.  4. 


THE  ACTS,  7.  225 

Jacob  of  the  Twelve  Patriarchs.  The  Patriarchs,  out    9 

of  jealousy,  sold  Joseph  into  slavery  in  Egypt  ;  but  God  was 
with  him,    and  delivered   him   out  of  all   his    troubles,  and     10 
enabled  him  to  win  favour  and  show  wisdom  before  Pharaoh, 
King  of  Egypt,  who  appointed  him  Governor  of  Egypt  and  of 
his  whole  household.     Then  a  famine  spread  over  the  whole     n 
of  Egypt  and  Canaan,  causing  great  distress,  and  our  ancestors 
could  find  no  food.     Hearing,  however,  that  there  was  corn     12 
in  Egypt,  Jacob  sent  our  ancestors  there  on  their  first  visit.    In     13 
the  course  of  their  second  visit,  Joseph  revealed  himself  to  his 
brothers,  and  his  family  became  known  to  Pharaoh.     Then     14 
Joseph  sent  an  urgent  invitation  to  his  father  Jacob  and  to 
his  relations,  seventy-five  persons  in  all  ;   and  so  Jacob  went     15 
down  into  Egypt.     There  he  died,  and  our  ancestors  also,  and     16 
their  bodies  were  removed  to  Shechem,  and  laid  in  the  tomb 
which  Abraham  had  bought  for  a  sum  of  money  from  the 
sons  of  Hamor  in  Shechem.  As  the  time  drew  near     17 

for  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  which  God  had  made   to 
Abraham,  the  people  increased  largely  in  numbers  in  Egypt, 
until  a  new  king,  who  knew  nothing  of  Joseph,  came  to  the     18 
throne.      This  king  acted  deceitfully  towards  our  race  and     19 
ill-treated  our  ancestors,  making   them   abandon  their  own 
infants,  so  that  they  should  not  be  reared.     It  was  just  at  this     20 
time  that  Moses  was  born.     He  was  an  exceedingly  beautiful 
child,  and  for  three  months  was  brought  up  in  his  own  father's 
house  ;  and,  when  he  was  abandoned,  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh     21 
found  him  and  brought  him  up  as  her  own  son.      So  Moses     22 
was  educated  in  all  the  learning  of  the  Egyptians,  and  proved 
his  ability  both  by  his  words  and  actions.  When  he     23 

was   in   his   fortieth   year,   he   resolved   to  visit  his   brother 
Israelites  ;   and,   seeing  an  Israelite  ill-treated,  he  defended     24 
him,   and  avenged  the  man,  who   was   being  wronged,    by 
striking   down    the    Egyptian.       He    thought    his    brothers     25 
would  understand  that  God  was  using  him  to  save  them  ; 
but  they  failed  to  do  so.     The  next  day  he  again  appeared     26 
upon   the    scene,    when   some   of  them   were   fighting,    and 
tried  to  make  peace   between  them.      'Men,'  he  said,   'you 
are  brothers  ;  how  is  it  that  you  are  ill-treating  one  another?' 
But    the    man    who    was    ill-treating    his    fellow    workman     27 
pushed  Moses  aside   saying  —  '  Who   made  you  a  ruler  and 
judge  over  us  ?     Do  you  mean  to  make  away  with  me  as  you     28 
did  yesterday  with  that  Egyptian  ?  '     At  these  words  Moses     29 
took  to  flight,  and  became  an  exile  in  Midian  ;  and  there  he 
had  two  sons  born  to  him.  Forty  years  had  passed     30 

when  there  appeared  to  him,  in  the  Desert  of  Mount  Sinai,  an 
angel  in  a  flame  of  fire  in  a  bush.    When  Moses  saw  it,  he  was     31 


9  Gen.  37.  ii,  28.  1°  Gen.  39.  21  ;  41.  37,  40,  43,  55  ;  Ps.  105.  21.  11—12  Gen.  42. 
3  Gen.  45.  i.  !•*—  15  Gen.  46.  27;  Exod.  i.  6.  16  Joshua  24.  32;  Gen.  50.  1 
-19  Exod.  I.  7—17.  20-29  Exod.  2.  2—15.  30  Exod.  3,  I—  IO.  ' 


226  THE  ACTS,  7. 

astonished  at  the  vision  ;  but  on  his  going  nearer  to  look  at  it 
more  closely,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  was  heard  to  say — '  I  am     32 
the  God  of  your  ancestors,  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob.'     Moses  trembled,  and  did  not  dare  to  look.      Then     33 
the  Lord  said  to  him — '  Take  your  sandals  off  your  feet,  for  the 
spot  where  you  are  standing-  is  holy  ground.     I  have  seen  the     34 
oppression  of  my  people  who  are  in  Egypt,  and  heard  their 
groans,  and  I  have  come  down  to  deliver  them.     Come  now 
and  I  will  send  you  into  Egypt.'  This  same  Moses,     35 

whom  they  had  disowned  with  the  words — '  Who  made  you  a 
ruler  and  a  judge  ? '  was  the  very  man  whom  God  sent  to  be 
both  a  ruler  and  a  deliverer,  under  the  guidance  of  the  angel 
that  had  appeared  to  him  in  the  bush.     He  it  was  who  led  them     36 
out,  after  he  had  shown  wonders  and  signs  in  Egypt,  in  the 
Red  Sea,  and  in  the  Desert  during  forty  years.     This  was  the     37 
Moses  who  said  to  the  people  of  Israel—'  God  will  raise  up  for 

S>u,  from  among  your  brothers,  a  Prophet,  as  he  raised  up  me.' 
e,  too,  it  was  who  was  present  at  the  assembly  in  the  Desert,     38 
with  the  angel  who  talked  to  him  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  with 
our  ancestors,  and  who  received  living  truths  to  impart  to  you. 
Yet  our  ancestors  refused  him  obedience  ;    more  than  that,     39 
they  rejected  him,  and  in  their  hearts  turned  back  to  Egypt, 
while  they  said  to  Aaron — '  Make  us  Gods  who  will  lead  the     40 
way  for  us,  since,  as  for  this  Moses  who  has  brought  us  out  of 
Egypt,  we  do  not  know  what  has  become  of  him.'     That  was     41 
the  time  when  they  made  the  Calf  and  offered  sacrifice  to  their 
idol,  and  held  festivities  in  honour  of  their  own  handiwork  ! 
So  God  turned  from  them  and  left  them  to  the  worship  of  the     42 
Starry  Host,  as  is  written  in  the  Book  of  the  Prophets — 

'  Did  you  offer  victims  and  sacrifices  to  me,  O  House  of  Israel, 

All  those  forty  years  in  the  Desert  ? 

You  took  with  you  the  tabernacle  of  Moloch  43 

And  the  Star  of  the  god  Rephan — 

The  images  which  you  had  made  to  worship. 
Therefore  I  will  exile  you  beyond  Babylon.' 

Our  ancestors  had   the  Tabernacle  of  Revelation   in   the    44 
Desert,  constructed,  just  as  he  who  spoke  to  Moses  had  directed 
him  to  make  it,  after  the  model  which  he  had  seen.     This    45 
Tabernacle,  which  was  handed  down  to  them,  was  brought 
into  this  country  by  our  ancestors  who  accompanied  Joshua 
(at  the  conquest  of  the  nations  that  God  drove  out  before  their 
advance),  and  remained  here  until  the  time  of  David.     David     46 
found  favour  with   God,   and   prayed   that   he  might  find  a 
dwelling  for  the  God  of  Jacob.     But  it  was  Solomon   who    47 

*!— **  Exod.  3.  i — to.      M  Exod.  3.  14.       M  Exod.  7.  3 ;    15.  4 ;    Num.   14.  -53. 

»7   Deut.    18.    15.       3»   Num.    14.   3.       «-4i    Exod.   33.    1—8.  «-*»  Jer.  8.  'a ; 

Amos,    5.    35—37.       **    Exod.    27.    21 ;     Exod.    35.    i,    40.  *>    Deut.    4.    38. 
<•  P«.  133.  5. 


THE  ACTS,  7-8.  227 

built  a  House  for  God.     Yet  it  is  not  in  buildings  made  by    48 
hands  that  the  Most  High  dwells.     As  the  Prophet  says — 

'  The  heavens  are  a  throne  for  me,  49 

And  the  earth  a  stool  for  my  feet. 
What  manner  of  House  will  you  build  me,  saith  the  Lord, 

Or  what  place  is  there  where  I  may  rest  ? 

Was  it  not  my  hand  that  made  all  these  things  ? '  50 

O  !  stubborn  race,  heathen  in  heart  and  ears,  you  are  for     51 
ever  resisting  the  Holy  Spirit ;  your  ancestors  did  it,  and  you 
are  doing  it  still.     Which  of  the  Prophets  escaped  persecution     52 
at  their  hands  ?     They  killed  those  who  foretold  the  coming 
of  the  Righteous  One  ;  of  whom  you,  in  your  turn,  have  now 
become  the  betrayers  and  murderers — you  who  received  the     53 
Law  as  transmitted  by  angels  and  yet  failed  to  keep  it." 

Stephen's         As  they  listened  to  this,  the  Council  grew  fnan-    54 
•Martyrdom,  tic  with  rage,  and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  Stephen. 
He,  filled  as  he  was  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  fixed  his  eyes  in-     55 
tently  on  the  heavens,  and  saw  the  Glory  of  God  and  Jesus 
standing  at  God's  right  hand. 

"Look,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  see  Heaven  open  and  the  Son     56 
of  Man  standing  at  God's  right  hand  !  " 

At  this,  with  a  loud  shout,  they  stopped   their  ears  and  all     57 
rushed  upon  him,  forced  him  outside  the  city,  and  began  to     58 
stone  him,  the  witnesses  laying  their  clothes  at  the  feet  of  a 
young  man  named  Saul.     And  they  stoned  Stephen,  while  he     59 
cried  to  the  Lord  :  "  Lord  Jesus  !  receive  my  spirit ! " 
Falling  on  his  knees,  he  called  out  loudly  :  60 

"Lord  !  do  not  charge  them  with  this  sin  ;  "  and  with  these 
words  he  fell  asleep. 

Saul  approved  of  his  being  put  to  death.  i    8 

The  First         On  that  very  day  a  great  persecution  broke  out 
Persecution,  against  the  Church  which  was  in  Jerusalem  ;  and 
its  members,  with   the  exception  of  the   Apostles,   were  all 
scattered  over  the  districts  of  Judaea  and  Samaria.      Some     2 
religious  men  buried  Stephen,  with  loud  lamentations  for  him. 
But  Saul  began  to  devastate  the  Church  ;   he  entered  house     3 
after  house,  dragged  out  men  and  women  alike,  and  threw 
them  into  prison. 


Mi 


Now  those  who  were   scattered   in   different 
•try'in    directions  went  from  place  to  place  proclaiming 


Philip's 


Samaria,      the  Good  News.     Philip  went  down  to  the  city  of    5 
Samaria,  and  there  began  to  preach  the  Christ.     The  people,     6 
one  and  all,  listened  attentively  to  what  Philip  told  them, 
when  they  heard  of,  and  saw,  the   miracles  which  he  was 


i  Kings  6.  i.     O—  so  Isa.  66.  1—2.    sl  Exod.  33.  3  ;  Jer.  9.  26  ;  6.  10  ;  Isa.  63.  10. 


228  THE  ACTS,  8. 

working.  For  there  were  many  instances  of  people  with  foul 
spirits,  where  the  spirits,  with  loud  screams,  came  out  of 
them  ;  and  many  who  were  paralyzed  or  lame  were  cured,  so 
that  there  was  great  rejoicing-  throughout  that  city. 

There  was  staying  in  the  city  a  man  named  Simon,  who 
had  been  practising  magic  there  and  mystifying  the  Samari- 
tan people,  giving  himself  out  to  be  some  great  Being.  Every 
one,  high  and  low,  paid  attention  to  him.  'This  man,'  they 
used  to  say,  '  must  be  that  Power  of  God  which  men  call  "  The 
Great  Power.'"  And  they  paid  attention- to  him  because 
they  had  for  a  long  time  been  mystified  by  his  magic  arts. 
However,  when  they  came  to  believe  Philip,  as  he  told  them 
the  Good  News  about  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  the  Name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  they  were  baptized,  both  men  and  women.  Even 
Simon  believed,  and  after  his  baptism  -attached  himself  to 
Philip,  and  was  in  his  turn  mystified  at  seeing  signs  and  great 
miracles  constantly  occurring. 

When  the  Apostles  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  the 

antfjohn      Samaritans  had  welcomed  God's  Message,  they 
at  sent  Peter  and  John  to  them  ;  and  they,  on  their 

Samaria.  arrival(  prayed  that  the  Samaritans  might  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Spirit.  (As  yet  the  Spirit  had  not  descended  upon 
any  of  them  ;  they  had  only  been  baptized  into  the  Faith  of  the 
Lord  Jesus).  Then  Peter  and  John  placed  their  hands  on 
them,  and  they  received  the  Holy  Spirit.  When  Simon 

saw  that  it  was  through  the  placing  of  the  Apostles'  hands  on 
them  that  the  Spirit  was  given,  he  brought  them  a  sum  of 
money  and  said  : 

"  Give  me  also  this  power  of  yours,  so  that,  if  I  place  my 
hands  upon  any  one,  he  may  receive  the  Holy  Spirit." 

"A  curse  upon  you  and  upon  your  money,"  Peter  ex- 
claimed, "  for  thinking  that  God's  free  gift  can  be  bought  with 
gold  !  You  have  no  share  or  part  in  our  Message,  for  your 
'heart  is  not  right  with  God.'  Therefore  repent  of  this 
wickedness  of  yours,  and  pray  to  the  Lord,  that,  if  possi- 
ble, you  may  be  forgiven  for  such  a  thought ;  for  I  see  that 
you  have  fallen  into  the  '  bitterness  of  envy '  and  the  '  fetters 
of  sin.'" 

"  Pray  to  the  Lord  for  me,  all  of  you,"  Simon  answered, 
"so  that  none  of  the  things  you  have  spoken  of  may  befall 
me." 

Peter  and  John,  having  borne  their  testimony  and  delivered 
the  Lord's  Message,  returned  to  Jerusalem,  telling  the  Good 
News,  as  they  went,  in  many  Samaritan  villages. 

Philip  Meanwhile  an  angel  of  the  Lord  had  said  to 

and  the         Philip  : 

At>y..inian.        «« §et  out  on  &  journey  southwards,  along  the 

21  P».  78.  37.    »  Deut.  39.  18 ;  I«a.  58.  6. 


THE  ACTS,  8—9.  229 

road  that  runs  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza."     (It  is  now 
deserted). 

So  Philip  set  out  on  a  journey  ;  and  on  his  way  he  came  upon     27 
an  official  of  high  rank,  in  the  service  of  Candace,  Queen  of 
the  Abyssinians.      He  was  her  Treasurer,  and  had   been  to 
Jerusalem  to  worship,  and  was  now  on  his  way  home,  sitting     28 
in  his  carriage  and  reading  the  Prophet  Isaiah.     The  Spirit     29 
said  to  Philip  : 

"  Go  up  to  the  carriage  yonder  and  keep  close  to  it." 
So  Philip  ran  up,  and  he  heard  the  Abyssinian  reading  the     30 
Prophet  Isaiah. 

"  Do  you  understand  what  you  are  reading  ?  "  he  asked. 

"How  can  I,"  the  other  answered,  "unless  some  one  will     31 
explain  it  to  me  ?  "  and  he  invited  Philip  to  get  up  and  sit  by 
his  side.     The  passage  of  Scripture  which  he  was  reading     32 
was  this — 

'  Like  a  sheep,  he  was  led  away  to  slaughter, 

And  as  a  lamb  is  dumb  in  the  hands  of  its  shearer, 
So  he  refrains  from  opening1  his  lips. 

In  his  lowly  condition  justice  was  denied  him.  33 

Who  will  tell  the  story  of  his  generation  ? 
For  his  life  is  cut  off  from  earth.' 

"Now,"    said    the    Treasurer,    addressing     Philip,     "tell     34 
me,  of  whom  is  the  Prophet  speaking  ?      Of  himself,  or  of 
some  one  else  ?  " 

Then  Philip  began,  and,  taking  this  passage  as  his  text,  told     35 
him  the  Good  News  about  Jesus.      Presently,  as  they  were     36 
going   along  the   road,  they  came   to   some  water,  and  the 
Treasurer  exclaimed  : 

"  Look  !  here  is  water  ;    what  is  to  prevent  my  being  bap- 
tized ?  " 

So  he  ordered  the  carriage  to  stop,  and  they  went  down  into     38 
the  water — both  Philip  and  the  Treasurer — and  Philip  baptized 
him.     But,  when  they  came' up  out  of  the  water,  the  Spirit  of    39 
the  Lord  caught  Philip  away,  and  the  Treasurer  saw  no  more 
of  him  ;  for  he  continued  his  journey  with  a  joyful  heart.      But     40 
Philip  was  found  at  Ashdod,  and,  as  he  went  on  his  way,  he 
told  the  Good  News  in  all  the  towns  through  which  he  passed, 
till  he  came  to  Caesarea. 


soul's  Meanwhile    Saul,    still    breathing    murderous 

conversion,  threats  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  went 
to  the  High  Priest,  and  asked  him  to  give  him  letters  to  the 
Jewish  congregations  at  Damascus,  authorizing  him,  if  he 
found  there  any  supporters  of  the  Cause,  whether  men  or 
women,  to  have  them  put  in  chains  and  brought  to  Jerusalem. 

32-33  isa.  S3.  7,  8. 


230  THE  ACTS,  9. 

While  on  his  journey,  as  he  was  nearing  Damascus,  sud-     3 
denly  a  light  from  the  heavens  flashed  around  him.     He  fell     4 
to  the  ground  and  heard  a  voice  saying  to  him — "  Saul,  Saul, 
why  are  you  persecuting  me  ?  " 

"  Who  are  you,  Lord  ?  "  he  asked.  5 

"  I  am  Jesus,  whom  you  are  persecuting,"  the  voice  an- 
swered ;  "yet  stand  up  and  go  into  the  city,  and  you  will  be     6 
told  what  you  must  do." 

The    men   travelling   with    Saul    were   meanwhile   standing    7 
speechless  ;  they  heard  the  sound  of  the  voice,  but  saw  no  one. 
When  Saul  got  up  from  the  ground,  though  his  eyes  were     8 
open,    he  could   see   nothing.      So  his  men  led   him  by  the 
hand,  and  brought  him  into  Damascus  ;    and  for  three  days     9 
he  was  unable  to  see,  and  took  nothing  either  to  eat  or  to 
drink. 

u|  Now  there  was  at  Damascus  a  disciple  named     10 

at  Ananias,  to  whom,  in  a  vision,  the  Lord  said  : 

Damascus.    "Ananias." 

"  Yes,  Lord,"  he  answered. 

"  Go  at  once,"  said  the  Lord,  "  to  the  '  Straight  Street ',  and     n 
ask  at  Judas's  house  for  a  man  named  Saul,  from  Tarsus.     He 
is  at  this  moment  praying,  and  he  has  seen,  in  a  vision,  a  man     12 
named  Ananias  coming  in  and  placing  his  hands  on  him,  so 
that  he  may  recover  his  sight." 

"  Lord,"  exclaimed  Ananias,   "  I    have  heard   from    many     13 
people   about  this   man — how   much  harm  he   has   done   at 
Jerusalem  to  your  People  there.     And,  here,  too,  he  holds     14 
authority  from  the  Chief  Priests  to  put  in  chains  all  those  who 
invoke  your  Name." 

But  the  Lord  said  to  him  :    "Go,  for  this  man  is  my  chosen     15 
instrument  to  uphold  my  Name  before  the  Gentiles  and  their 
kings,  and  the  people  of  Israel.     I  will  myself  show  him  all     16 
that  he  has  to  suffer  for  my  Name." 

So  Ananias  went,  entered  the  house,  and,  placing  his  hands     17 
on  Saul,  said  : 

"  Saul,  my  Brother,  I  have  been  sent  by  the  Lord — by  Jesus, 
who  appeared  to  you  on  your  way    here — so  that  you   may 
recover  your  sight  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit." 
Instantly  it  seemed  as  if  a  film  fell  from  Saul's  eyes,  and  his     18 
sight  was  restored.     Then  he  got  up  and  was  baptized,  and,     19 
after  he  had  taken  food,  he  felt  his  strength  return. 

Saul  stayed  for  some  days  with  the  disciples  who  were  at 
Damascus,  and  at  once   began    in    the  Synagogues    to  pro-     20 
claim  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God.     All  who  heard    him  were     21 
amazed. 

"  Is  not  this,"  they  asked,  "  the  man  who  worked  havoc  in 
Jerusalem  among  those  that  invoke  this  Name,  and  who  had 


THE  ACTS,  9.  231 

also  come  here  for  the  express  purpose  of  having  such  persons 
put  in  chains  and  taken  before  the  Chief  Priests  ?  " 
Saul's  influence,  however,  kept  steadily  increasing,  and  he     22 
confounded  the  Jews  who  lived  in  Damascus  by  the  proofs 
that  he  gave  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ. 

After  some  time  the  Jews  laid  a  plot  to  kill  Saul,  but  it     23 
became  known  to  him.     They  even  watched  the  gates  day     24 
and  night,  to  kill  him  ;    but  his  disciples  let   him  down  by     25 
night  through  an  opening  in  the  wall,  lowering  him  in  a 
basket. 

saui  at          ^n  h*s  ari"ival  in  Jerusalem,  Saul  attempted  to     26 
Jerusalem    join  the  disciples,  but  they  were  all  afraid  of  him, 
and  Tarsus.  as  they  did  not  believe  that  he  was  really  a  dis- 
ciple.    Barnabas,  however,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  brought     27 
him  to  the  Apostles,  and  told  them  the  whole  story  of  how 
Saul  on  his  journey  had  seen  the  Lord,  and  how  the  Lord  had 
talked  to  him,  and  how  in  Damascus  he  had  spoken  out  fear- 
lessly in  the  Name  of  Jesus.      After  that,  Saul  remained  in     28 
Jerusalem,  in  close  intercourse   with   the  Apostles  ;   and   he     29 
spoke  fearlessly  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,  talking  and  argu- 
ing with   the  Jews   of  foreign   birth,  who,    however,  made 
attempts  to  kill  him.     But,  when  the  Brethren  found  this  out,     30 
they  took  him  down  to  Caesarea,  and  sent  him  on  his  way  to 
Tarsus. 

And  so  it  came  about  that  the  Church,  throughout  Judaea,     31 
Galilee,  and  Samaria,  enjoyed  peace  and  became  firmly  estab- 
lished ;  and,  ordering  its  life  by  reverence  for  the  Lord  and  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  increased  in  numbers. 


Peter,    while   travelling   from    place   to   place     32 
MiTac*««"at   throughout  the  country,  went  down  to  visit  the 

Lydda        People  of  Christ  living  at  Lydda.    There  he  found     33 
and  jatra.    a  jjj^  named  Aeneas,  who  had  been  bed-ridden 

for  eight  years  with  paralysis. 

"Aeneas,"  Peter  said  to  him,  "Jesus  Christ  cures  you.    Get     34 

up,  and  make  your  bed." 

Aeneas  got  up  at  once  ;  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Lydda  and     35 

of  the  Plain  of  Sharon  saw  him,  and  came  over  to  the  Lord's 

side. 

At  Jaffa  there  lived  a  disciple  whose  name  was  Tabitha,     36 
which  is  in  Greek  'Dorcas' — a  Gazelle.     Her  life  was  spent 
in  doing  kind  and  charitable  actions.     Just  at  that  time  she     37 
was   taken   ill,    and   died ;   and  they  had  washed  her  body 
and  laid  it  out  in  an  upstairs  room.     Jaffa  was  near  Lydda,     38 


232  THE  ACTS,  9-1O. 

and  the  disciples,  having  heard  that  Peter  was  at  Lydda,  sent 
two  men  with  the  request  that  he  would  come  on  to  them  with- 
out delay.     Peter  returned  with  them  at  once.     On  his  arrival,     39 
he  was  taken  upstairs,  and  all  the  widows  came  round  him  in 
tears,  showing  the  coats  and  other  clothing  which  Dorcas  had 
made  while  she  was  among  them.     But  Peter  sent  everybody     40 
out  of  the  room,  and  knelt  down  and  prayed.     Then,  turning 
to  the  body,  he  said  : 

"Tabitha!  stand  up." 

She  opened  her  eyes,  and,  seeing  Peter,  sat  up.     Giving  her    41 
his  hand,  Peter  raised  her  up,  and,  calling  in  the  widows  and 
others  of  Christ's  People,  presented  her  to  them  alive.     This     42 
became  known  all  through  Jaffa,  and  numbers  of  people  came 
to  believe  in  the  Lord.  And  Peter  stayed  some  days     43 

at  Jaffa  with  a  tanner  named  Simon. 


Peter  There  was   then   in  Caesarea  a  man  named     i 

and         Cornelius,   a   Captain    in    the    regiment   known 

Cornelius.    as  tne  '  Italian  Regiment,'  a  religious  man  and     2 
one  who   reverenced  God,  with  all  his  household.     He  was 
liberal  in  his  charities  to  the  people,  and  prayed  to  God  con- 
stantly.    One  afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  he  distinctly  saw     3 
in  a  vision  an  angel  from   God  come  to  him,  and  call  him 
by  name.    Cornelius  fixed  his  eyes  on  him  and,  in  great  alarm,     4 
said  :  "  What  is  it,  Lord  ?  " 

"Your  prayers  and   your  charities,"  the  angel  answered, 
"have  been  an- acceptable  offering  to  God.     And  now,  send     5 
messengers  to  Jaffa  and  fetch  a  man  called  Simon,  who  is  also 
known  as  Peter.     He  is  lodging  with  a  tanner  named  Simon,     6 
who  has  a  house  near  the  sea." 

When  the  angel,  who  had  spoken  to  him,  had  gone,  Cornelius     7 
called  two  menservants  and  a  religious  soldier,  who  was  one 
of  his  constant  attendants,  and,  after  telling  them  the  whole    8 
story,  sent  them  to  Jaffa. 

On  the  next  day,  while  these  men  were  on  their  way,  just    9 
as  they  were  nearing  the  town,  Peter  went  up  on  the  house- 
top about  mid-day  to  pray.     He  became  hungry  and  wanted     10 
something  to  eat ;  but,  while  it  was  being  prepared,  he  fell  into 
a  trance,  and  saw  that  the  heavens  were  open,  and  that  some-     n 
thing  like  a  great  sail  was  descending,  let  down  by  its  four 
corners  towards  the  earth.    In  it  were  all  kinds  of  quadrupeds,     12 
reptiles,  and  birds.     Then  he  was  aware  of  a  voice  which  said     13 
— "Stand  up,  Peter,  kill  something,  and  eat." 

"  No,  Lord,  I  cannot,"  answered  Peter,  "for  I  have  never     14 
eaten  anything  '  defiled  '  and  '  unclean '." 

Again   he  was  aware  of  a  voice  which   said — "What  God     15 
has  pronounced  '  clean ',  do  not  regard  as  '  defiled  '." 

*  Enoch  99.  3. 


THE  ACTS,  1O.  233 

This  happened   three  times,  and   then   suddenly  it  was  all     16 
taken  up  into  the  heavens. 

While  Peter  was  still  perplexed  as  to  the  meaning  of  the     17 
vision  that  he  had  seen,  the  men  sent  by  Cornelius,  having 
enquired  the  way  to  Simon's  house,  came  up  to  the  gate,  and     18 
called  out  and  asked  if  the  Simon,  who  was  also  known  as 
Peter,  was  lodging  there.  Peter  was  still  pondering     19 

over  the  vision,  when  the  Spirit  said  to  him  : 

"There  are  two  men  looking  for  you  at  this  moment.     Go     20 
down  at  once  and  do  not  hesitate  to  go  with  them,  for  I  have 
sent  them." 
Peter  went  down  to  the  men  and  said  :  21 

' '  I  am  the  man  for  whom  you  are  looking.     What  is  your 
reason  for  coming  ?  " 
The  men  replied  :  22 

"Our  captain,  Cornelius,  a  pious  man  who  reverences  God 
and  is  well  spoken  of  by  the  whole  Jewish  nation,  has  been 
instructed  by  a  holy  angel  to  send  for  you  to  his  house,  and 
to  listen  to  what  you  have  to  say." 
Upon  this  Peter  invited  them  in  and  entertained  them.  23 

The  next  day  he  lost  no  time  in  setting  out  with  them, 
accompanied  by  some  of  the  Brethren  from  Jaffa  ;    and  the     24 
day  following  he  entered  Caesarea.     Cornelius  was  expecting 
them,  and  had  invited  his  relations  and  intimate  friends  to 
meet  them.  So,  when  Peter  entered  the  city,  Cornelius     25 

met  him,  and,  throwing  himself  at  Peter's  feet,  bowed  to  the 
ground.     Peter,  however,  lifted  him  up,  saying  as  he  did  so  :       26 

"  Stand  up,  I  am  only  a  man  like  yourself." 

Talking  with  him  as  he  went,  Peter  entered  the  house,  where     27 
he  found  a  large  gathering  of  people,  to  whom  he  said  :  28 

"You  are  doubtless  aware  that  it  is  forbidden  for  a  Jew  to 
be  intimate  with  a  foreigner,  or  even  to  enter  his  house  ; 
and  yet  God  has  shown  me  that  I  ought  not  to  call  any 
man  'defiled'  or  'unclean.'  That  was  why  I  came,  when  I  29 
was  sent  for,  without  raising  any  objection.  And  now  I  ask 
your  reason  for  sending  for  me." 

"Just  three  days  ago  this  very  hour,"  Cornelius  said,  "I     30 
was   in   my   house,   saying  the   Afternoon    Prayers,    when  a 
man  in  dazzling  clothing  suddenly  stood  before  me.  'Cornelius,'     31 
he  said,  '  your  prayer  has  been  heard,  and  your  charities  have 
been  accepted,  by  God.     Therefore  send  to  Jaffa,  and  invite     32 
the  Simon,  who  is  also  known  as  Peter,  to  come  here.     He  is 
lodging  in  the  house    of  Simon    the    tanner,  near  the  sea.' 
Accordingly  I  sent  to  you  at  once,  and  you  have  been  so  good     33 
as  to  come.     And  now  we  are  all  here  in  the  presence  of  God, 
to  listen  to  all  that  you  have  been  instructed  by  the  Lord  to  say." 
Then  Peter  began.  34 

"I  see,  beyond  all  doubt,"  he  said,  "that  'God  does  not 
w  Deut.  10.  17. 

1° 


234  THE  ACTS,  1O— 11, 

show  partiality,'  but  that  in  every  nation  he  who  reverences     35 
him  and  does  what  is  right  is  acceptable  to  him.     God  has     36 
sent   his  Message  to  the  Israelites  and  told  them,   through 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Good  News  of  peace — and  Jesus  is  Lord  of 
all  !     You  yourselves  know  the  story  which  spread  through  all     37 
Judaea,  how,  beginning  from  Galilee,  after  the  baptism  which 
John  proclaimed — the  story,  I  mean,  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,     38 
and  how  God  consecrated  him  his  Christ  by  enduing  him  with 
the  Holy  iSpirit  and  with   power ;    and   how  he  went  about 
doing  good  and  curing  all  who  were  under  the  power  of  the 
Devil,  because  God  was  with  him.     We  are  ourselves,  too,     39 
witnesses  to  all  that  he  did  in  Judaea  and  in  Jerusalem  ;  yet 
they  put  him  to  death  by  hanging  him  on  a  cross  !     This  Jesus     40 
God  raised  on  the  third  day,  and  enabled  him  to  appear,  not    41 
indeed  to  every  one,  but  to  witnesses  chosen  beforehand  by 
God — to  us,  who  ate  and  drank  with  him  after  his  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead.     Further,  God  charged  us  to  proclaim  to    42 
the  people,  and  solemnly  affirm,  that  it  is  Jesus  who  has  been 
appointed  by  God  Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead.     To  him     43 
it  is  that  all  the  Prophets  bear  witness,  when  they  say  that 
every  one  who  believes  in  him  receives  through  his  Name 
forgiveness  of  sins." 

First  Before  Peter  had  finished' saying  these  words,     44 

conversion    the  Holy  Spirit  fell  on  all  who  were  listening  to 
of  Gentile*.  ^jie    Message.      Those   converts   from  Judaism,     45 
who  had  come  with  Peter,  were  amazed  that  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  had  been  bestowed  even  upon  the  Gentiles  ;  for    46 
they  heard  them  speaking  with  '  tongues '  and  extolling  God. 
At  this  Peter  asked  : 

"Can  any  one  refuse  the  water  for  the  baptism  of -these    47 
people,  now  that  they  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit  as  we  did 
ourselves  ?  " 

And  he  directed  that  they  should  be  baptized  in  the  Faith  of    48 
Jesus  Christ ;   after  which  they  asked   him  to  stay  there  a 
few  days  longer. 

The    Apostles    and   the  Brethren   throughout     i 
or  Judaea   heard  that  even  the   Gentiles  had   wel- 

HiB  Action,    corned  God's  Message.  But,  when  Peter     2 

went  up  to  Jerusalem,  those  who  were  converts  from  Judaism 
began  to  attack  him  on  the  ground  that  he  had  visited  people     3 
who  were  not  circumcised,  and  had  taken  meals  with  them. 
So  Peter  began  to  relate  the  facts  to  them  as  they  had  oc-    4 
curred. 

"  I  was  in  the  town  of  Jaffa,"  he  said,  "  and  was  praying ;     5 
and,  while  in  a  trance,  I  saw  a  vision.     There  was  something 
like  a  great  sail  descending,  let  down  by  its  four  corners  put 
of  the  heavens ;  and  it  came  right  down  to  me.      Looking    6 

*•  P».  147.  18—19 ;  Isa.  52.  7.    *8  Isa.  61.  i.    »  Deut.  ai.  a*. 


THE  ACTS,  11.  225 

intently  at  it,  I  began  to  distinguish  quadrupeds,  wild  beasts, 
reptiles,    and   birds  ;    and    I    also    heard   a   voice   saying  to     7 
me — 'Stand  up,  Peter,  kill  something  and  eat.'     'No,  Lord,     8 
I  cannot,'  I  answered,  '  for  nothing  '  defiled  '  or  '  unclean '  has 
ever  passed  my  lips.'     Then  a  second  time  there  came  a  voice     9 
from  the  heavens.     "What  God  has  pronounced  'clean',"  it 
said,   "you  must  not  call  'defiled'."      This  happened  three     10 
times,   and  then  all  was  drawn  up  again  into  the  heavens. 
At  that  moment  three  men,  who  had  been  sent  from  Caesarea     n 
to  see  me,  came  up  to  the  house  in  which  we  were.     The     12 
Spirit  told  me  to  go  with  them   without   hesitation.     These 
six  Brothers  also  went  with  me.     And,  when  we  came  into 
the   man's   house,    he   told  us   how  he   had   seen  the  angel     13 
standing  in  his  house,  and  how  the  angel  had  said  to  him — 
'  Send  to  Jaffa  and  fetch  the  Simon,  who  is  also  known  as 
Peter ;    for   he   will    tell   you   truths,    which    will    prove   the     14 
means  of  Salvation  to  you  and  all  your  household.'     I  had     15 
but  just  begun  to  speak,"  continued  Peter,  "when  the  Holy 
Spirit  fell  on  them,  exactly  as  on  us  at  the  first ;  and  I  recalled     16 
the  saying  of  the  Master — 'John  baptized  with  water,   but 
you  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit.'     Since  then,  God     17 
had  given  them  the  very  same  gift  as  he  gave  us  when  we 
became  believers  in  Jesus  Christ  the  Master — who  was  I  that 
I  could  thwart  God  ?  " 

On  hearing  this  statement,  they  said  no  more,  but  broke  out     18 
into   praise  of  God.      "So  even  to  the  Gentiles,"  they  ex- 
claimed,  "God  has  granted  the  repentance  which  leads  to 
Life ! " 


'Christians'       Now  those  who  had  been  scattered  in  different     19 

atAntioch.  directions,  in  consequence  of  the  persecution 
that  followed  upon  the  death  of  Stephen,  went  as  far  as 
Phoenicia,  Cyprus,  and  Antioch,  telling  the  Message — but  only 
to  Jews.  Some  of  them,  however,  who  were  men  of  20 

Cyprus  and  Cyrene,  on  coming  to  Antioch,  addressed  them- 
selves also  to  the  Jews  of  foreign  birth,  telling  them  the  Good 
News  about  the  Lord  Jesus.    The  power  of  the  Lord  was  with     21 
them,  so  that  a  great  number  who  had  learnt  to  believe  came 
over  to  the  Lord's  side.  The  news  about  them  reached     22 

the  ears  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  and  they  sent  Barnabas 
to  Antioch.      On   coming    there     he   saw   to   his   great  joy     23 
these  tokens  of  the  loving-kindness  of  God,  and  encouraged 
them  all  to  make  up  their  minds  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord — for     24 
Barnabas  was  a  good  man  and  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of 
faith — and  a  large  number  of  people  took  their  stand  on  the 
Lord's  side.      Afterwards   Barnabas  left  for  Tarsus  to  look     25 
for  Saul ;  and,  when  he  had  found  him,  he  brought  him  to     26 

iSWisd.  of  Sol.  12.  10. 


236  THE  ACTS,  11-12. 

Antioch.  And  so  it  came  about  that,  for  a  whole  year,  they 
attended  the  meetings  of  the  Church  there,  and  taught  a  large 
number  of  people  ;  and  it  was  in  Antioch  that  the  disciples 
were  first  called  '  Christians.' 


During    this   time,   some    Prophets    came  to     27 
Barnabaeand  Antioch  from  Jerusalem.     One  of  them,  named     28 
Saul  to       Agabus,  came  forward  and,  under  the  influence 
Judaea.       Qf  ^e  Spirit,  foretold  a  great  famine  that  was  to 
spread  over  all  the  world — a  famine  which  occurred  in  the 
reign  of  Claudius.     So  the  disciples,  without  exception,  deter-     29 
mined,  in  proportion  to  their  means,  to  send  something  to  help 
the  Brethren  living  in  Judaea.    And  this  they  did,  sending  it  to     30 
the  Officers  of  the  Church  by  the  hands  of  Barnabas  and  Saul. 

Persecution       It  was  at  that  time  that  King  Herod  began  to     i 
of  the        illtreat  some  of  the  members  of  the  Church.   He     2 

ChHerodby    had  James,  the  brother  of  John,  beheaded  ;  and,     3 

Agrippa  i.     when  he  saw  that  the  Jews  were  pleased  with 
this,  he  proceeded  to  arrest  Peter  also.     (This  was  during  the 
Festival  of  the  Unleavened  Bread.)    After  seizing  Peter,  Herod     4 
put  him  in  prison,  and  entrusted  him  to  the  keeping  of  four 
Guards  of  four  soldiers  each,  intending,  after  the  Passover,  to 
bring  him  up  before  the  people.     So  Peter  was  kept  in  prison,     5 
but  meanwhile  the  prayers  of  the  Church  were  being  earnestly 
offered  to  God  on  his  behalf.  Just  when  Herod  was     6 

intending  to  bring  him  before  the  people,  on  that  very  night 
Peter  was  asleep  between  two  soldiers,  chained  to  them  both, 
while  there  were  sentries  in  front  of  the  door,  guarding  the 
prison.     Suddenly  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  him,  and  a     7 
light  shone  in  the  cell.     The  angel  struck  Peter  on  the  side, 
and  roused  him  with  the  words  :  "  Get  up  quickly." 
The  chains  dropped  from  his  wrists,  and  then  the  angel  said  :     8 
"  Put  on  your  girdle  and  sandals." 

When  Peter  had  done  so,  the  angel  added:    "Throw  your 
cloak  round  you  and  follow  me." 

Peter    followed    him    out,    not    knowing    that    what    was    9 
happening  under  the  angel's  guidance  was  real,  but  thinking 
that  he  was  seeing  a  vision.     Passing  the  first  Guard,  and     10 
then  the  second,  they  came  to  the  iron  gate  leading  into  the 
city,  which  opened  to  them  of  itself;    and,  when  they  had 
passed  through  that,  and  had  walked  along  one  street,  all  at 
once  the  angel  left  him.    Then  Peter  came  to  himself  and  said :     1 1 

"  Now  I  know  beyond  all  doubt  that  the  Lord  has  sent  his 
angd,  and  has  rescued  me  from  Herod's  hands  and  from  all 
that  the  Jewish  people  have  been  expecting." 


THE  ACTS,  12-18.  237 

As  soon  as  he  realized  what  had  happened,  he  went  to  the     12 
house  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  John  who  was  also  known  as 
Mark,  where  a  number  of  people  were  gathered  together, 
praying.     On  his  knocking  at  the  door  in  the  gate,  a  maid-     13 
servant,  named  Rhoda,  came  to  answer  it.     She  recognized     14 
Peter's  voice,   but  in   her  joy  left   the  gate  unopened,  and 
ran  in,  and  told  them  that  Peter  was  standing  outside. 

"  You  are  mad  !  "  they  exclaimed.  15 

But,  when  she  persisted  that  it  was  so,  they  said  : 

"  It  must  be  his  spirit ! " 

Meanwhile  Peter  went  on  knocking,  and,  when  they  opened     16 
the  gate  and  saw  him,  they  were  amazed.     Peter  signed  to     17 
them  with  his  hand  to  be  silent,  and  then  told  them  how  the 
Lord  had  brought  him  out  of  the  prison,  adding  : 

"Tell  James  and  the  Brethren  all  this." 

Then  he  left  the  house,  and  went  away  to  another  place.  In     18 

the  morning   there  was  a  great   stir  among  the  soldiers — 
what  could  have  become  of  Peter !     And,  when  Herod  had     19 
made  further  search  for  him  and  failed  to  find  him,  he  closely 
questioned  the  Guard,  and  ordered  them  away  to  execution. 
Then  he  went  down  from  Judaea  to  stay  at  Caesarea. 

Herod'*          It  happened  that  Herod  was  deeply  offended     20 
Death.       with  the  people  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  but  they  went 
in  a  body  to  him,  and,  having   succeeded  in  winning  over 
Blastus,  the  Chamberlain,  they  begged  Herod  for  a  recon- 
ciliation, because  their  country  was  dependent  on  the  King's 
for  its  food-supply.     On  an  appointed  day  Herod,  wearing  his     21 
state-robes,  seated  himself  on  his  throne,  and  delivered  an 
oration.     The  people  kept  shouting  :  "  It  is  the  voice  of  God,     22 
and  not  of  a  man  ! " 

Instantly  an  angel  of  the  Lord  struck  him,  because  he  did  not    23 
give  God  the  glory ;  and  he  was  attacked  with  worms,  and  died. 

Meanwhile  the  Lord's  Message  kept  extending,  and  spread-    24 
ing  far  and  wide. 

When  Barnabas  and   Saul  had  carried  out  their  mission,     25 
they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  took  with  them  John,  who 
was  also  known  as  Mark. 


II. — THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  GENTILES. 
Doings  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 

PAUL'S  FIRST      Among  the  members  of  the  Church  at  Antioch 

MISSIONARY  there   were   several    Prophets    and    Teachers — 

JOURNEY.     Barnabas,  Simeon  who  was  known  by  the  name 

TH«  start     of  '  Black ',   Lucius  of  Cyrene,  Manaen,  foster- 

from  Antioch.  brother  of  Prince  Herod,  and  Saul.  While 


238  THE  ACTS,  13. 

they  were  engaged  in   the    worship  of  the   Lord  and   were 
fasting,  the  Holy  Spirit  said  : 

"Set  apart  for  me  Barnabas  and  Saul,  for  the  work  to 
which  I  have  called  them." 

Accordingly,  after  fasting  and  prayer,  they  placed  their  hands     3 
on  them  and  dismissed  them. 

Paul  and         Barnabas  and  Saul,  sent  on  this  mission,  as    4 
Barnabas  at  they  were,   by  the  Holy  Spirit,  went  down   to 

Cyprus.       Seleucia,  and  from  there  sailed  to  Cyprus.     On     5 
reaching  Salamis,  they  began  to  tell  the  Message  of  God  in 
the  Jewish  Synagogues ;    and  they  had  John  with  them  as 
an  assistant. 

After  passing  through  the  whole  island,  they  reached  Paphos,     6 
where  they  found  an  astrologer  who  pretended  to  be  a  Prophet 
— a  Jew  by  birth,  whose  name  was  Barjoshua.      He  was  at     7 
the  court  of  the  Governor,  Sergius  Paulus,  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence, who  sent  for  Barnabas  and  Saul  and  asked  to  be  told 
God's  Message.     But  Elymas,  the  astrologer  (for  that  is  the     8 
meaning  of  the  word),   opposed  them,   eager  to  divert  the 
Governor's  attention  from  the  Faith.      However,  Saul  (who  is     9 
the  same  as  Paul),  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  fixed  his  eyes  on 
him  and  said  :  10 

"You  incarnation  of  deceit  and  all  fraud  !     You  son  of  the 
Devil !     You  opponent  of  all  that  is  good  !     Will  you  never 
cease  to  divert  '  the  straight  paths  of  the  Lord '  ?     Listen  ! 
The  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  you  even  now,  and  you  will  be     n 
blind  for  a  time  and  unable  to  see  the  sun." 
Immediately  a  mist  and  darkness  fell  upon  him,  and  he  went 
feeling  about  for  some  one  to  guide  him.     When  the  Governor     12 
saw  what  had  happened,  he  became  a  believer  in  Christ,  being 
greatly  impressed  by  the  teaching  about  the  Lord. 

After  this,  Paul  and  his   companions  set  sail     13 
BaTiTaba's'at  from  Paphos  and  went  to  Perga  in  Pamphylia, 
pisidian      where  John  left  them  and  returned  to  Jerusa- 
Antiooh.      iern.  The  others  went  on  from  Perga  and     14 

arrived  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia.     There  they  went  into  the  Syna- 
gogue on  the  Sabbath  and  took  their  seats.     After  the  reading     15 
of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  the  Presidents  of  the  Synagogue 
sent  them  this  message — "  Brothers,  if  you  have  any  helpful 
words  to  address  to  the  people,  now  is  the  time  to  speak." 
So  Paul  rose  and,  motioning  with  his  hand,  spoke  as  follows  :     16 

"  Men  of  Israel  and  all  here  who  reverence  God,  hear  what 
I  have  to  say.  The  God  of  this  people  Israel  chose     17 

our  ancestors,  and  during  their  stay  in  Egypt  increased  the 
prosperity  of  the  people,  and  then  '  with  uplifted  arm  brought 
them  out  from  that  land.'     For  about  rorty  years  '  he  bore  with     18 
10  Hos.  14.  9.    »  Exod.  6.  6.    W  Deut.  i.  31. 


THE  ACTS,  13.  239 

them  in  the  Desert ' ;   then,  after  destroying  seven  heathen     19 
nations  in  Canaan,  he  allotted  their  land  to  this  people — for 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  years.     In  later  times  he  gave     20 
them  Judges,  of  whom  the  Prophet  Samuel  was  the  last.    And,     21 
when  they  demanded  a  king,  God  gave  them  Saul  the  son  of 
Kish,  a  man  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  who  reigned  for  forty 
years.     After  removing  him,  he  raised  David  to  the  throne,     22 
and  bore  this  testimony  to  him—'  In  David,  the  son  of  Jesse, 
I   have   found  a  man  after   my  own  heart,  who  will  carry 
out  all  my  purposes.'     It  was  from  this  man's  descendants     23 
that  God,   in  accordance   with    his  promise,    gave    Israel   a 
Saviour — Jesus  ;    John   having   first   proclaimed,    before   the     24 
appearance  of  Jesus,  a  baptism  upon  repentance  for  all  the 
people  of  Israel.     As  John  was  drawing  towards  the  end  of    25 
his  career,  he  said  '  What  do  you  suppose  that  I  am  ?     I  am 
not  the  Christ.     But  there  is  ' '  One  Coming  "  after  me,  whose 
very  sandal    I    am    not  worthy  to   untie.'  Brothers,     26 

descendants  of  Abraham,  and  all  those  among  you  who  re- 
verence God,  it  was  to  us  that  the  Message  of  this  Salvation 
was  sent.     The  people  of  Jerusalem  and  their  leading  men,     27 
failing  to  recognize  Jesus,  and  not  understanding  the  utter- 
ances of  the  Prophets  that  are  read  every  Sabbath,  fulfilled 
them  by  condemning  him.      They  found  no  ground  at   all     28 
for  putting  him  to  death,  and  yet  demanded  his  execution 
from    Pilate ;    and,    after   carrying    out    everything    written     29 
about  him,  they  took  Jesus  down  from  the  cross,  and  laid 
him  in  a  tomb.     But  God  raised  him  from  the  dead  ;    and     30, 
he  appeared  for  many  days  to  those  who  had  gone  up  with 
him  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem,  and  who  are  now  witnesses 
for  him  to  the  people.     We  also  have  good  news  to  tell  you,     32 
about  the  promise  made  to  our  ancestors — that  our  children     33 
have  had  this  promise  completely  fulfilled  to  them  by  God, 
by  his  raising  Jesus.     That  is  just  what  is  said  in  the  second 
Psalm— 

'  Thou  art  my  Son  ;  this  day  I  have  become  thy  Father.' 

As  to  his  raising  Jesus  from  the  dead,  never  again  to  return     34 
to  corruption,  this  is  what  is  said — 

'  I  will  give  to  you  the  sacred  promises  made  to  David  ; ' 

and,  therefore,  in  another  Psalm  it  is  said —  35 

'  Thou  wilt  not  give  up  thy  Holy  One  to  undergo  corruption.' 

David,  after  obediently  doing  God's  will  in  his  own  time,  '  fell  36 
asleep  and  was  laid  by  the  side  of  his  ancestors',   and  did 

undergo  corruption  ;    but  Jesus,  whom  God  raised  from  the  37 

dead,  did  not  undergo  corruption.  I  would,  therefore,  38 

19  Dcut.  7.   i;    Joshua  14.   i.      22  Ps.  80.  20;    i  Sam.    13.   14.      26  ps.   z,8.  ,6. 
33  ps.  2.  7.     «  Isa.  55.  3.     35  Ps.  j6.  10.     30  i  Kings  x.  10. 


240  THE  ACTS,  18-14. 

have  you  know,  Brothers,  that  through  Jesus  forgiveness  of 
sins  is  being  proclaimed  to  you,  and  that,  in  union  with  him,     39 
every  one  who  believes  in  him  is  absolved  from  every  sin  from 
which  under  the  Law  of  Moses  you  could  not  be  absolved. 
Beware,  therefore,  that  what  is  said  in  the  Prophets  does  not    40 
come  true  of  you — 

4  Look,  you  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish  ;  41 

For  I  am  doing"  a  deed  in  your  days — 
A  deed  which,  though  told  you  in  full,  you  will  never  believe '." 

As  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  leaving  the  Synagogue,  the     42 
people  begged  for  a  repetition  of  this  teaching  on  the  next 
Sabbath.     After  the  congregation  had  dispersed,  many  of  the    43 
Jews,  and  of  the  converts  who  joined  in  their  worship,  followed 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  who  talked  with  them  and  urged  them  to 
continue  to  rely  upon  the  loving-kindness  of  God. 

On  the  following  Sabbath,  almost  all  the  city  gathered  to    44 
hear  God's  Message.     But  the  sight  of  the  crowds  of  people    45 
filled  the  minds  of  the  Jews  with  jealousy,  and  they  kept  con- 
tradicting Paul's  statements  in  violent  language.     Then  Paul    46 
and  Barnabas  spoke  out  fearlessly,  and  said  : 

"  It  was  necessary  that  the  Message  of  God  should  be  told 
to  you  first ;  but,  since  you  reject  it  and  reckon  yourselves  not 
worthy  of  the  Immortal  Life — we  turn  to  the  Gentiles  !     For    47 
this  is  the  Lord's  command  to  us — 

'  I  have  destined  thee  for  a  Light  to  the  Gentiles, 
A  means  of  Salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth '." 

On  hearing  this,  the  Gentiles  were  glad  and  extolled  God's    48 
Message  ;  and  all  those  who  had  been  enrolled  for  Immortal 
Life  became  believers  in  Christ ;  and  the  Lord's  Message  was     49 
carried  throughout  that  district.     But  the  Jews  incited  the     50 
women   of    position   who   worshipped   with    them,    and    the 
leading  men  of  the  town,  and  started  a  persecution  against 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  drove  them  out  of  their  neighbour- 
hood.    They,  however,  shook  the  dust  off  their  feet  in  protest,     51 
and  went  to  Iconium,  leaving  the  disciples  full  of  joy  and  of    52 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

p^,  The  same  thing  occurred   in  Iconium,  where     i 

and  Barnabas  Paul  and  Barnabas  went  into  the  Jewish  Syna- 
«t  iconium.    gogue,  and  spoke   in  such  a  way  that  a   great 
number  of  both  Jews  and  Greeks  believed  in  Christ.     But  the    2 
Jews  who  refused   to   believe   stirred   up   the   Gentiles,  and 
poisoned  their  minds  against  the  Brethren.     Therefore  Paul     3 
and  Barnabas  spent  a  long  time  there,  and  spoke  out  fear- 
lessly, relying  upon  the  Lord,  who  confirmed  the  Message  of 
his  Love  by  permitting  signs  and  wonders  to  take  place  at 

«  Hab.  i.  5.    «  lea.  49.  6. 


THE  ACTS,  14.  241 

their  hands.     But  the  townspeople  were  divided,  some  siding    4 
with  the  Jews,  some  with  the  Apostles  ;  and,  when  there  was     5 
an  attempt  on  the  part  of  both  Gentiles  and  Jews,  with  their 
leading  men,  to  resort   to  violence  and   to  stone   them,  the     6 
Apostles  heard  of  it,  and  took  refuge  in  Lystra  and  Derbe, 
towns  in  Lycaonia,  and  in  the  district  round,  and  there  they    7 
continued  to  tell  the  Good  News. 

In  the  streets   of  Lystra  there  used  to  sit  a     8 
and  Barnabas  man  who  had  no  power  in  his  feet ;  he  had  been 

at  Lystra.      lame  from  his  birth,  and  had  never  walked.    This     9 
man  was  listening  to  Paul  speaking,  when  Paul,  fixing  his 
eyes  on  him,  and  seeing  that  he  had  the  faith  to  be  healed, 
said  loudly  :  "  Stand  upright  on  your  feet."  10 

The   man   leaped   up,    and   began   walking  about,    and   the     n 
crowd,    seeing    what    Paul    had    done,    called    out    in    the 
Lycaonian  language  : 

"The  Gods  have  made  themselves  like  men  and  have  come 
down  to  us." 

So  they  called  Barnabas  'Zeus,'  and  Paul  '  Hermes,'  because     12 
he   took   the   lead    in   speaking ;     and   the   priest    of   Zeus-     13 
beyond-the-Walls,  accompanied  by  the  crowd,  brought  bul- 
locks and  garlands  to  the  gates,  with  the  intention  of  offering 
sacrifices.       But,    when    the    Apostles    Barnabas    and    Paul     1,4 
heard  of  it,  they  tore  their  clothes  and  rushed  out  into  the 
crowd. 

"Friends,  why  are  you  doing  this?"  they  shouted.     "We     15 
are  only  men   like  yourselves,  and  we   have  come  with   the 
Good  News  that  you  should  turn  away  from  these  follies  to  a 
living  God,  '  who  made  the  heavens,  the  earth,  the  sea,  and 
everything  that  is  in  them.'     In  bygone  times  he  permitted  all     16 
the  nations  to  go  their  own  ways.     Yet  he  has  not  failed  to     17 
give  you,  in  the  good  he  does,  some  revelation  of  himself — 
sending  you   from    Heaven   rain   and    fruitful   seasons,    and 
gladdening  your  hearts  with  plenty  and  good  cheer." 
Even  with  this  appeal  they  could  hardly  restrain  the  people     18 
from  offering  sacrifice  to  them. 

Presently,  however,  there  came   some  Jews   from  Antioch     19 
and  Iconium  who,  after  they  had  won  over  the  people,  stoned 
Paul,  and  dragged  him  out  of  the  town,  thinking  him  to  be 
dead.    But,  when  the  disciples  had  gathered  round  him,  he  got     20 
up  and  went  back  into  the  town  ;  the  next  day  he  went  with 

Barnabas   to    Derbe.      After    telling    the    Good     21 

Ba"nabas     News    throughout    that    town,    and    making    a 
return       number  of  converts,    they  returned   to   Lystra, 

^AntTocn*"    Iconium>  a°d  Antioch,  reassuring  the  minds  of    22 

the  disciples,  urging  them  to  remain  true  to  the 
Faith,  and  showing  that  it  is  only  through  many  troubles  that 
we  can  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God.  They  also  appointed  Officers  23 

IB  Ps.  146.  5—6. 


242  THE  ACTS,  14-15. 

for  them   in   every   Church,  and,  after  prayer  and  fasting, 
commended  them  to  the  Lord  in  whom  they  had  learnt  to 
believe".     Paul  and  Barnabas  then  went  through  Pisidia,  and     24 
came  into  Pamphylia,  and,  after  telling  the  Message  at  Perga,     25 

went  down  to  Attaleia.    From  there  they  sailed  to     26 
Barnabas     Antioch  —  the  place  where  they  had   been  com- 

mitted  to  the  gracious  care  of  God  for  the  work 


at  Syrian     which  they  had  now  finished.  After  their     27 

Antioch.      arr;vai(  they  gathered  the  Church  together,  and 
gave  an  account  of  all  that  God  had  helped  them  to  do,  and 
especially  how  he  had  opened   to  the  Gentiles  the  door  of 
faith  ;    and  at  Antioch  they  stayed  with  the  disciples  for  a     28 
considerable  time. 


council       ^u'  cei"tain  persons  came  down  from  Judaea,     i 
at  and   began  to   teach  the   Brethren  that,  unless 

Jerusalem,  they  were  circumcised,  in  accordance  with  the 
custom  enjoined  by  Moses,  they  could  not  be  saved.  This  2 
gave  rise  to  a  serious  dispute,  and  much  discussion,  between 
Paul  and  Barnabas  and  these  men,  and  it  was  therefore  settled 
that  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  others  of  their  number  should  go 
up  to  Jerusalem,  to  consult  the  Apostles  and  Officers  of  the 
Church  about  the  matter  under  discussion. 

The  Church,  therefore,  sent  them  on  their  journey,  and  they     3 
made  their  way  through  Phoenicia  and  Samaria,  telling  the 
story  of  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  to  the  great  joy  of  all 
the    Brethren.      On   their  arrival   at    Jerusalem,    they   were     4 
welcomed  by  the  Church,  as  well  as  by  the  Apostles  and  the 
Officers,  and  gave  an  account  of  all  that  God  had  helped  them 
to  do.  Some  of  the  Pharisees'  party,  however,  who     5 

had  become  believers  in  Christ,  came  forward  and  declared 
that  they  were  bound  to  circumcise  converts  and  to  direct  them 
to  observe  the  Law  of  Moses. 

The  Apostles  and  the  Officers  of  the  Church  held  a  meeting    6 
to  consider  this  question.  After  much  discussion,  Peter    7 

rose  and  said  : 

"You,  my  Brothers,  know  well  that  long  ago  God  singled 
me  out — that  through  my  lips  the  Gentiles  should  hear  the 
Message  of  the  Good  News,  and  become  believers  in  Christ. 
Now   God,    who   reads   all    hearts,    declared    his   acceptance     8 
of  the   Gentiles,    by   giving   them    the    Holy   Spirit,   just  as 
he  did  to  us.      He  made  no  distinction  between  them  and     9 
us,    when    he   purified    their   hearts  •  by   their    faith.      Why,     10 
then,  do  you  now  provoke  God,  by  putting  on  the  necks  of 
these  disciples  a  yoke  which  neither  our  ancestors  nor  we  were 


THE  ACTS,  15.  243 

able  to  bear?     No,  it  is  through  the  loving-ferygiess  of  the     n 
Lord  Jesus  that  we,  just  as  they  do,  believe  that'ie  Fhave  been 
saved."  Rx> 

Every  voice  in  the  assembly  was  hushed,  as  tfviy  listened     12 
to  Barnabas  and  Paul,  while  they  gave  an  account  .of  all  the 
signs  and  wonders  which  God  had  shown  among  the  Gentiles 
through  them.  After  they  had  finished  speaking,  James     13 

addressed  the  Council. 

"Brothers,"  he  began,  "  hear  what  I  have  to  say.     Simon     14 
has   described   the   manner  in  which   God   first   visited    the 
Gentiles,  in  order  to  take  from  among  them  a  people  to  bear 
his  Name.     And  that  is  in  harmony  with  the  words  of  the     15 
Prophets,  where  they  say — 

'  "  After  this  I  will  return  ;  16 

And  I  will  rebuild  the  House  of  David  which  has  fallen — 
Its  very  ruins  I  will  rebuild, 

And  will  set  it  up  once  more  ; 

That  so  the  rest  of  mankind  may  earnestly  seek  the  Lord —  17 

Even  all  the  Gentiles  on  whom  my  Name  has  been  bestowed," 

Says  the  Lord,  as  he  does  these  things,  foreknown  from  of  old.'      18 

In    my  judgement,    therefore,    we    should    not  add    to    the     19 
difficulties  of  those  Gentiles  who  are  turning  to  God,  but  we     20 
should   write   to   them   to  abstain    from   food    that  has  been 
polluted  by  being  sacrificed  to  idols,  from  impurity,  from  eat- 
ing the  flesh  of  strangled  animals,  and  from  blood.     For  in     21 
every  town,  for  generations  past,  there  have  been  those  who 
preach  Moses,  read  as  he  is  in  the  Synagogues  every  Sabbath." 

It  was  then  decided  by  the  Apostles  and  the  Officers,  with  the     22 
assent  of  the  whole  Church,  to  choose  some  of  their  number, 
and  send  them  to  Antioch  with  Paul  and  Barnabas.     Those 
chosen  were  Judas   (called    Barsabas)  and   Silas,  who   were 
leading  men  among  the  Brethren.     They  were  bearers  of  the     23 
following  letter — 

'  The  Apostles,  and  the  Brothers  who  are  the  Officers 
of  the  Church,  send  their  greetings  to  the  Brethren  of 
Gentile  birth  in  Antioch,  Syria,  and  Cilicia. 
As  we  had  heard  that  some  of  our  number  had  upset  24 

you  by  their  assertions,  and  unsettled  your  minds — 
without  instructions  from  us — we  met  and  decided  to  25 

choose  certain  men  and  send  them  to  you  with  our 
dear  brothers  Barnabas  and  Paul,  who  have  sacrificed  26 

themselves  for  the  Name  of  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ. 
We  are   accordingly  sending  Judas  and   Silas,  and  27 

they  will  tell  you  by  word  of  mouth  what  we  are  now 
writing.      We   have,    therefore,    decided,    under    the  28 

guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  lay  no  further  burden 

16— isjer.  I2.  ,5;  Amos  9.  n — 12;  Isa.  45.  21. 


244  THE  ACTS,  15-16. 

upon  $n   evtyond  these  necessary  conditions — that  you  29 

abstaid  tlom  food  offered  to  idols,  from  blood,  from 
eatingjauhe  flesh  of  strangled  animals,  and  from 
impurP.y.  If  you  guard  yourselves  against  such 
things,  it  will  be  well  with  you.  Farewell.' 

So  the  bearers  of  this  letter  were  sent  on  their  way,  and     30 
went  down  to  Antioch.     There  they  called  a  meeting  of  all  the 
Brethren,  and  delivered  the  letter,  the  reading  of  which  caused     31 
great  rejoicing  by  its  encouraging  contents.     Judas  and  Silas,     32 
who    were     themselves    Prophets,    further    encouraged    the 
Brethren  by  many  an  address,  and  strengthened  their  faith. 
After  some  stay,  they  were  dismissed  with  kind  farewells  from     33 
the  Brethren,  and  returned  to  those  who  had  sent  them. 

Paul  and  Barnabas,  however,  remained  in  Antioch,  where     35 
they  taught  and,  with  the  help  of  many  others,  told  the  Good 
News  of  the  Lord's  Message. 


Some  time  after  this,  Paul  said  to  Barnabas  :        36 
o,          "  Let  us  go   back,  and  visit  the    Brethren  in 

SECOND  &.  ,   .    ;  ...        ,          T  ,, 

MISSIONARY  every   town   in  which  we   have  told   the  Lord  s 
JOURNEY.     Message,  and  see  how  they  are  prospering." 

Paul          Barnabas    wished    to     take    with     them    John,     37 
separates     whose   other    name   was    Mark ;    but   Paul   felt    38 
B  rnaba       ^iat   ^^   ou&ht   not   to   take    with   them   the 
man  who  had  deserted  them  in  Pamphylia,  and 
had  not  gone  on  with  them  to  their  work.     This  caused  such     39 
unpleasant  feeling  between  them  that  they  parted,  Barnabas 
taking  Mark  and  sailing  for  Cyprus,  while  Paul  chose  Silas     40 
for  his  companion  and,  after  he  had  been  committed  by  the 
Brethren   to   the   gracious   care  of  the  Lord,  started  on  his 
journey  and  went  through  Syria  and  Cilicia,  strengthening  the 
Churches  in  the  Faith. 

Paul  joined       Among    other    places    Paul    went    to    Derbe 
by  Timothy   and  Lystra.     At   the   latter  place   they  found  a 
at  Lyatra.     disciple,  named  Timothy,  whose  mother  was  a 
Jewess  who  had  become  a  believer  in  Christ,  while  his  father 
was  a  Greek,  and  who  was  well  spoken  of  by  the  Brethren  in     2 
Lystra  and  Iconium.     Wishing  to  take  this  man  with  him  on     3 
his  journey,  Paul  caused  him  to  be  circumcised  on  account  of 
the  Jews  in  that  neighbourhood,  for  they  all  knew  that  his 
father  had  been  a  Greek.  As  they  travelled  from  town     4 

to  town,  they  gave  the  Brethren  the  decisions  which  had  been 
reached  by  tne  Apostles  and  Officers  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem, 
for  them  to  observe. 

So  the  Churches  grew  stronger  in  the  Faith,  and  increased     5 
in  numbers  from  day  to  day. 


THE  ACTS,  16.  245 

They  next  went  through  the  Phrygian  district     6 
determines    °f  Galatia,  but  were  restrained  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  cross  to   from   delivering  the   Message   in    Roman  Asia. 
Macedonia,   when  they  reached  the  borders  of  Mysia,  they    7 
attempted  to  go  into  Bithynia,  but  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  did 
not  permit  them.     Passing  through  Mysia,  they  went  down  to     8 
Troas  ;  and  there  one  night  Paul  saw  a  vision.     A  Macedonian     9 
was  standing  and  appealing   to  him — '  Come  over  to  Mace- 
donia and  help  us.'     So,  immediately  after  Paul  had  seen  the     10 
vision,  we  looked  for  an  opportunity  to  cross  over  to  Mace- 
donia, concluding  that  God  had  summoned  us  to  tell  the  Good 
News  to  the  people  there. 

Paul  at  Accordingly  we  set  sail  from  Troas,  and  ran     u 

phiiippi.      before  the  wind  to  Samothrace,  reaching  Neapolis 
the  next  day.     From   there  we   made  our  way  to   Phiiippi,     12 
which  is  the  principal  city  of  that  part  of  Macedonia,  and  also 
a  Roman  Settlement. 

In  that  city  we  spent  several  days.     On  the   Sabbath  we     13 
went  outside  the  gate  to  the  river-side,  where  we  supposed 
there  would   be   a    Place  of  Prayer ;   and  we   sat  down  and 
talked   to   the   women   who   were    gathered   there.      Among     14 
them  was  a  woman,  named  Lydia,  belonging  to  Thyatira,  a 
dealer  in  purple  cloth,  who  was  accustomed    to  join   in  the 
worship  of  God.     The  Lord  touched  this  woman's  heart,  so 
that  she  gave  attention  to  the  Message  delivered  by  Paul,  and,     15 
when  she  and  her  household  had  been  baptized,  she  urged  us 
to  become  her  guests. 

"Since  you  have  shown  your  conviction,"  she  said,  "that 
I  really  am  a  believer  in  the  Lord,  come  and  stay  in  my  house." 
And  she  insisted  on  our  doing  so. 

One  day,  as  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  Place  of  Prayer,  we     16 
were  met  by  a  girl  possessed  by  a  divining  spirit,  who  made 
large   profits   for  her   masters   by  fortune-telling.     This  girl     17 
followed  Paul  and  the  rest  of  us,  calling  out : 

"These  men  are  servants  of  the  most  high  God,  and  they 
are  bringing  you  news  of  a  way  to  Salvation." 
She  had  been  doing  this  for  several  days,  when  Paul,  much     18 
vexed,  turned  and  said  to  the  spirit  within  her  : 

"  In  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ  I  command  you  to  leave  her." 
That  very  moment  the  spirit  left  her.  When  her  19 

masters  saw  that  there  was  no  hope  of  further  profit  from  her, 
they  seized  Paul  and  Silas,  dragged  them  into  the  public  square 
to  the  authorities,  and  took  them  before  the  Magistrates.  20 

"These  men  are  causing  a  great  disturbance  in  our  town," 
they  complained;    "they  are  Jews,   and   they  are   teaching     21 
customs  which  it  is  not  right  for  us,  as  Romans,  to  sanction 
or  adopt." 
On   this   the   mob   rose  as  one  man  against   them,  and   the     22 


246  THE  ACTS,  16-17. 

Magistrates  stripped  them  of  their  clothing-  and  ordered  them 
to  be  beaten  with  rods.     After  beating-  them   severely,   the     23 
Magistrates  put  them  in  prison,  with  orders  to  the  Governor 
of  the  Gaol  to  keep  them  in  safe  custody.     On  receiving  so     24 
strict  an  order,  the  Governor  put  them  into  the  inner  cell,  and 
secured  their  feet  in  the  stocks.  About  midnight,  while     25 

Paul  and  Silas  were  praying  and  singing  hymns  to  God,  and 
while  the  prisoners  were  listening  to  them,  suddenly  there  was     26 
an  earthquake  of  such  violence  that  the  Gaol  was  shaken  to  its 
foundations  ;   all  the  doors  flew  open,  and  all  the  prisoners' 
chains  were  loosened.     Roused  from  his  sleep,  and  seeing  the     27 
prison  doors  open,  the  Governor  drew  his  sword  intending  to 
kill  himself,  in  the  belief  that  the  prisoners  had  escaped.     But     28 
Paul  called  out  loudly  : 

"  Do  not  harm  yourself;  we  are  all  here." 

Calling  for  a  light,  the  Governor  rushed  in,  and  flung  himself  29 
trembling  at  the  feet  of  Paul  and  Silas.  Then  he  led  them  30 
out,  and  said  : 

"  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 

"  Believe  in  Jesus,  our  Lord,"  they  replied,  "and  you  shall     31 
be  saved,  you  and  your  household  too." 

Then  they  spoke  to  him  of  God's    Message,  and    to  all   his     32 
household  as  well.     And  that  very  hour  of  the  night  he  took     33 
them  and  washed  their  wounds,  and  he  himself  and  every  one 
belonging  to  him  were  baptized  without  delay.    Afterwards  he     34 
took  them  up  to  his  house  and  set  before  them  something  to  eat, 
rejoicing  that  he,  with  all  his  household,  had  come  to  believe 
in   God.  In   the   morning   the  Magistrates    sent   the     35 

police  with  an  order  for  the  men  to  be  discharged.  The  36 
Governor  of  the  Gaol  told  Paul  of  his  instructions. 

"The  Magistrates  have  sent  an  order  for  your  discharge," 
he  said,  "so  you  had  better  leave  the  place  at  once  and  go 
quietly  away." 
But  Paul's  answer  to  them  was  :  37 

"They  have  flogged  us  in  public  without  trial,  though  we 
are  Roman  citizens,  and  they  have  put  us  in  prison,  and  now 
they  are  for  sending  us  out  secretly  !  No,  indeed  !  Let  them 
come  and  take  us  but  themselves." 

The  police   reported   his  words  to  the  Magistrates,  who,  on     38 
hearing   that    Paul   and    Silas   were    Roman   citizens,    were 
alarmed,  and  went  to  the  prison,  and  did  their  best  to  con-    39 
ciltate  them.     Then  they  took  them  out,  and  begged  them  to 
leave  the  city.     When  Paul  and  Silas  left  the  prison,  they  went    40 
to  Lydia's  house,  and,  after  they  had  seen  the  Brethren,  and 
encouraged  them,  they  left  the  place. 

p»ui  at          After  passing   through  Amphipolis  and  Apol-     i 
Tho«..ionica.  Ionia,    Paul   and    Silas    came    to   Thessalomca. 
Here  the  Jews  had  a  Synagogue  ;  and,  following  his  usual     2 


THE  ACTS,  17.  247 

custom,  Paul  joined  them,  and  for  three  Sabbaths  addressed 
them,  drawing  his  arguments  from  the  Scriptures.  He  laid  3 
before  them  and  explained  that  the  Christ  must  undergo 
suffering  and  rise  from  the  dead  ;  and  "It  is  this  man,"  he 
declared,  "who  is  the  Christ — this  Jesus  about  whom  I  am 
telling  you." 

Some  of  the  people  were  convinced,  and  threw  in  their  lot  with     4 
Paul  and  Silas,  as  did  also  a  large  body  of  Greeks  who  were 
accustomed  to  join  in  the  Jewish  services,  and  a  great  number 
of  women  belonging  to  the  leading  families.  But  the     5 

Jews,  becoming  jealous,  engaged  some  worthless  fellows  from 
the  streets,  and,  getting  a  mob  together,  kept  the  city  in  an 
uproar.  They  attacked  Jason's  house,  with  the  intention  of 
bringing  Paul  and  Silas  before  the  Popular  Assembly  ;  and,  6 
not  finding  them  there,  they  proceeded  to  drag  Jason  and 
some  of  the  Brethren  before  the  City  Magistrates,  shouting 
out : 

"These  men,  who  have  turned  the  world  upside  down,  have 
now  come  here,  and  have  been  harboured  by  Jason  !    They  are     7 
all  defying  the  decrees  of  the  Emperor.     They  say  that  some 
one  else  is  king — a  man  called  Jesus  !  " 

On  hearing  this,  the  people  and  the  City  Magistrates  were  8 
much  concerned  ;  and,  before  letting  them  go,  they  took  bail  9 
from  Jason  and  the  others. 

Paul  That  very  night   the  Brethren  sent   Paul  and     10 

at  Beroea     Silas  off  to  Beroea  ;  and  on  reaching  that  place, 
they  went  to  the  Jewish  Synagogue.     These  Jews  of  Beroea     n 
were   better  disposed   than   those   in   Thessalonica,   for  they 
welcomed  the   Message  with  great  readiness,  and  daily  ex- 
amined the  Scriptures  to  see  if  what  was  said  was  true.     As  a     12 
consequence,  many  of  them  became  believers  in  Christ,  besides 
a  considerable  number  of  Greek  women  of  position,  and  of  men 
also.  But,  when  the  Jews  of  Thessalonica  found  out     13 

that  God's  Message  had  been  delivered  by  Paul  at  Beroea, 
they  came  there  too,  exciting  and  disturbing  the  minds  of  the 
people.     Immediately  upon  that,  the  Brethren  sent  Paul  off    14 
on   his  way  to  the  sea  coast,   but  both  Silas  and  Timothy 
stayed  behind  in  Beroea.     The  friends  who  escorted  Paul  took     15 
him  as  far  as  Athens,  and,  after  receiving  a  message  for  Silas 
and  Timothy  to  join  him  as  quickly  as  possible,  they  started 
on  their  return. 

Paul  While  Paul  was  waiting  for  them  at  Athens,     16 

at  Athens,     his  heart  was  stirred  at  seeing  the  whole  city  full 
of  idols.     So  he  argued  in  the  Synagogue  with  the  Jews  and     17 
with  those  who  joined  in  their  worship,  as  well  as  daily  in 
the   public    Square   with    those  who   happened   to   be   there. 
Among  others,  some  Epicurean  and  Stoic  Philosophers  joined     18 
issue   with    him.     Some   would   ask    "What    is    this   prater 


248  THE  ACTS,  17. 

wanting  to  make  out?",  while  others  would  say  "He  seems 
to  be  a  Preacher  of  foreign  Deities."     (This  was  because  he 
was  telling  the  Good  News  about  Jesus  and  the  Resurrec- 
tion).    So  they  laid  hold  of  him  and  took  him  to  the  Court  of    19 
Areopagus. 

"May  we  hear,"  they  asked,  "what  new  teaching  this  is 
which  you  are  giving?     For  you  are  bringing  some  strange     20 
things  to  our  notice,  and  we  should  like  to  know  what  they 
mean." 

(All  Athenians  and  the  foreigners  staying  in  the  city  found  no     21 
time  for  anything  else  but  telling,  or  listening  to,  the  last  new 
thing.)     So  Paul  took  his  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  Court,     22 
and  said  — 

"  Men  of  Athens,  on  every  hand  I  see  signs  of  your  being 
very  devout.     For  as    I  was   going  about,  looking  at   your     23 
sacred  shrines,  I  came  upon  an  altar  with  this  inscription  — 
'To  AN  UNKNOWN  GOD.'     What,  therefore,  you  worship  in 
ignorance,   that  I  am  now  proclaiming  to  you.      The  God     24 
who  made  the  world  and  all  things  that  are  in  it  —  he,  Lord 
as  he  is  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  does  not  dwell  in  Temples 
made  by  hands,  nor  yet   do   human   hands   minister  to   his     25 
wants,  as  though  he  needed  anything,  since  he  himself  gives, 
to  all,  life,  and  breath,  and  all  things.     He  made  all  races  of    26 
men  from  one  stock,  apd  caused  them  to  settle  on  all  parts  of 
the  earth's  surface  —  fixing  a  time  for  their  rise  and  fall,  and 
the  limits  of  their  settlements  —  that  they  might  search  for  God,     27 
if  by  any  means  they  might  feel  their  way  to  him  and  find  him. 
And  yet  he  is  not  really  far  from  any  one  of  us  ;  for  in  him     28 
we  live  and  move  and  are.     To  use  the  words  of  some  of  your 
own  poets  — 

'  His  offspring,  too,  are  we.' 

Therefore,  as  the  offspring  of  God,  we  must  not  think  that    29 
the  Deity  has  any  resemblance  to  anything  made  of  gold,  or 
silver,    or   stone  —  a  work   of    human   art  and    imagination. 
True,  God  looked  with  indulgence  on  the  days  of  men's  ignor-     30 
ance,  but  now  he  is  announcing  to  every  one  everywhere  the 
need  for  repentance,  because  he  has  fixed  a  day  on  which  he    31 
intends  to  'judge  the  world  with  justice,'  by  a  man  whom  he 
has  appointed  —  and  of  this  he  has  given  all  men  a  pledge  by 
raising  this  man  from  the  dead." 

On  hearing  of  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  some  began  jeering,     32 
but  others  said  that  they  would  hear  what  he  had  to  say  about 
that  another  time.     And  so  Paul  left  the  Court.     There  were,     33, 
however,  some  men  who  joined  him,  and  became  believers  in 
Christ.     Among  them  were  Dionysius,  a  member  of  the  Court 
of  Areopagus,  a  woman  named  Damaris,  and  several  others. 

»«  P».   146.   5—6.     26  iga.  4a.  &.    96  Gen.  9.  19.      »  Aratus  5.      »i  Pa.  9.  8  ; 


4a.  &.    96  Gen.  9. 
Enoch  41.  9. 


THE  ACTS,  18.  249 

Pau|  On  leaving-  Athens,  Paul  next  went  to  Corinth,     i  j 

at  There   he  met  a  Jew  of  the  name  of  Aquila,  a    2 

Corinth.      native  of  Pontus,  who,  with   his  wife  Priscilla, 
had  lately  come  from  Italy,  in  consequence  of  the  order  which 
had  been  issued  by  the  Emperor  Claudius  for  all  Jews  to  leave 
Rome.     Paul  paid  them  a  visit,  and,  since  their  trade  was  the    3 
same  as   his,  he  stayed  and  worked  with  them — their  trade 
was  tent-making-.     Every  Sabbath  Paul  gave  addresses  in  the    4 
Synagogue,  trying  to  convince  both  Jews  and  Greeks. 

But,  when  Silas  and  Timothy  had  .come  down  from  Mace-    5 
donia,    Paul     devoted     himself    entirely    to    delivering    the 
Message,  earnestly  maintaining   before   the  Jews  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.     However,  as  they  set  themselves  against  him     6 
and  became  abusive,  Paul  shook  his  clothes  in  protest  and  said 
to  them : 

"Your  blood  be  on  your  own  heads.      My  conscience  is 
clear.     From  this  time  forward  I  shall  go  to  the  Gentiles." 
So  he  left,  and  went  to  the  house  of  a  certain  Titius  Justus,  who    7 
had  been  accustomed  to  join  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  whose 
house    was    next    door    to    the    Synagogue.      Crispus,    the     8 
President  of  the  Synagogue,  came  to  believe  in  the  Lord,  and 
so  did  all  his  household  ;   and  many  of  the  Corinthians,  as 
they  listened  to   Paul,  became   believers  in  Christ  and  were 
baptized.  One   night  the   Lord   said    to   Paul,    in  a    9 

vision  : 

"  Have  no  fear,  but  continue  to  speak,  and  refuse  to  be 
silenced  ;  for  I  am  with  you,  and  no  one  shall  do  you  harm,     10 
for  I  have  many  People  in  this  city." 

So  he  settled  there  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  taught  God's     n 
Message  among  the  people. 

While  Gallio  was  governor  of  Greece,  the  Jews   made  a     12 
combined  attack  on  Paul,  and  brought  him  before  the  Gover- 
nor's Bench,  charging  him  with  persuading  people  to  worship     13 
God  in  a  way  forbidden  by  the  Law.     Just  as  Paul  was  on  the     14 
point  of  speaking,  Gallio  said  to  the  Jews  : 

"Jews,    if  this   were  a    case    of   misdemeanour   or   some 
serious  crime,  there  would  be  some  reason  for  my  listening 
patiently  to  you  ;  but,  since  it  is  a  dispute  about  words,  and     15 
names,  and  your  own  Law,  you  must  see  to  it  yourselves.     I 
do  not  choose  to  be  a  judge  in  such  matters." 

Saying  this,   he  drove  them  back  from  the  Bench.      Then     16, 
they  all  set  upon  Sosthenes,  the  President  of  the  Synagogue, 
and  beat  him  in  front  of  the  Bench,  but  Gallio  did  not  trouble 
himself  about  any  of  these  things. 

Paul's  Paul  remained  there  some  time  after  this,  and     18 

Return.  then  took  leave  of  the  Brethren,  and  sailed  to 
Syria  with  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  but  not  before  his  head  had 
been  shaved  at  Cenchreae,  because  he  was  under  a  vo'w. 

»-10  Isa.  43.  5- 


250  THE  ACTS,  18-19. 

They  put  into  Ephesus,  and   there  Paul,  leaving-  his  com-     19 
panions,  went  into  the  Synagogue  and  addressed  the  Jews. 
When  they  asked  him  to  prolong  his  stay,  he  declined,  saying      20 
however,  as  he  took  his  leave,  "  I  will  come  back  again  to     21 
you,  please  God,"  and  then  set  sail  from  Ephesus.     On  reach-     22 
ing   Caesarea,    he   went   up    to    Jerusalem    and    exchanged 
greetings  with  the  Church,  and  then  went  down  to  Antioch. 
PAUL'S  THIRD     After  making  some  stay  in  Antioch,  he  set  out     23 
MISSIONARY  on  a  tour  through  the  Phrygian  district  of  Galatia, 
^"ur'fn"     strengthening  the  faith  of  all  the  disciples  as  he 

Qalatia.         Went. 

Meanwhile  there    had   come    to   Ephesus  an    24 

Apoiios.      Alexandrian  Jew,    named   Apollos,  an   eloquent 
man,  who  was  well-versed  in  the  Scriptures.      He  had  been     25 
well-instructed  in  the  Cause  of  the  Lord,  and  with  burning 
zeal  he  spoke  of,  and  taught  carefully,  the  facts  about  Jesus, 
though  he  knew  of  no  baptism  but  John's.     This  man  began     26 
to  speak  out  fearlessly  in  the  Synagogue  ;  and,  when  Priscilla 
and  Aquila  heard  him,  they  took  him  home  and  explained  the 
Cause  of  God  to  him  more  carefully  still.    When  he  wanted  to     27 
cross  to  Greece,  the  Brethren  furthered  his  plans,  and  wrote 
to  the  disciples  there   to  welcome   him.      On   his  arrival   he 
proved  of  great  assistance  to  those  who  had,   through  the 
loving-kindness  of  God,  become   believers  in  Christ,  for  he     28 
vigorously    confuted     the    Jews,    publicly    proving     by    the 
Scriptures  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ. 

p»ui  While   Apollos   was   at   Corinth,  Paul   passed     i 

•t  Epheaus.   through  the  inland  districts  of  Roman  Asia,  and 
went  to  Ephesus.     There  he  found  some  disciples,  of  whom  he     2 
asked  : 

"  Did  you,  when  you  became  believers  in  Christ,  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit?" 

"No,"  they  answered,  "we  did  not  even  hear  that  there 
was  a  Holy  Spirit." 

"  What  then  was  your  baptism?"  Paul  asked.  3 

"John's  baptism,"  was  their  answer. 

"John's  baptism  was  a  baptism  upon  repentance,"  rejoined     4 
Paul,    "and  John   told   the   people   (speaking  of  the   'One 
Coming '  after  him)  that  they  should  believe  in  him — that  is  in 
Jesus." 

On  hearing  this,  they  were  baptized  into  the  Faith  of  the  Lord     5 
Jesus,  and,  after  Paul  had  placed  his  hands  on  them,  the  Holy     6 
Spirit  descended  upon  them,  and  they  began  to  speak  with 
'  tongues '  and  to  preach.     There  were  about  twelve  of  them     7 
in  all. 

P.aul  went  to  the  Synagogue  there,  and  for  three  months    8 
spoke  out  fearlessly,  giving  addresses  and  trying  to  convince 

*  Pa.  1 18.  a6. 


THE  ACTS,  19.  251 

his  hearers,  about  the  kingdom  of  God.     Some  of  them,  how-    9 
ever,  hardened  their  hearts  and  refused  to  believe,  denouncing 
the  Cause  before  the  people.     So  Paul  left  them  and  withdrew 
his  disciples,  and  gave  daily  addresses  in  the  lecture-hall  of 
Tyrannus.    This  went  on  for  two  years,  so  that  all  who  lived  in     10 
Roman  Asia,  Jews  and  Greeks  alike,  heard  the  Lord's  Message. 

God  did  miracles  of  no  ordinary  kind  by  Paul's  hands  ;  so 
that  people  would  carry  home  to  the  sick  handkerchiefs  or 
aprons  that  had  touched  his  body,  and  their  diseases  would 
leave  them  and  the  wicked  spirits  go  out  of  them.  An  13 

attempt  was  made  by  some  itinerant  Jews,  who  were 
exorcists,  to  use  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  over  those  who 
had  wicked  spirits  in  them. 

"  I  adjure  you,"  they  would  say,  "  by  the  Jesus,  whom  Paul 
preaches." 

The  seven  sons  of  Sceva,  a  Jewish  Chief  Priest,  were  doing     14 
this  ;  but  the  wicked  spirit  answered  them  :  15 

"  Jesus  I  acknowledge,  and  Paul  I  know,  but  you — who  are 
you  ?  " 

Then  the  man,  in  whom  this  wicked  spirit  was,  sprang  upon     16 
them,  mastered  both  of  them,  and  so  completely  overpowered 
them,  that  they  fled  out  of  the  house,  stripped  of  their  clothes, 
and  wounded.     This  incident  came  to  the  knowledge  of  all     17 
the  Jews  and  Greeks  living  at  Ephesus  ;  they  were  all  awe- 
struck, and  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was   held   in   the 
highest    honour.     Many,    too,    of    those    who    had    become     18 
believers    in    Christ  came  with   a    full   confession   of   their 
practices ;    while   a   number   of  people,    who   had   practised     19 
magic,  collected  their  books  and  burnt  them  publicly  ;  and  on 
reckoning  up  the  price  of  these,  they  found  it  amounted  to 
five  thousand  pounds.  So  irresistibly  did  the  Lord's     20 

Message  spread  and  prevail. 


Sometime  after  these  events  Paul  resolved  to    21 
^o'viait"1*    S°  through    Macedonia  and  Greece,   and   then 
Jerusalem    make  his  way  to  Jerusalem.     "And  after  I  have 
and  Rome.    \^en  there,"  he  said,  "  I  must  visit  Rome  also." 
So  he  sent  to  Macedonia  two  of  his  helpers,  Timothy  and  Erastus,     22 
while  he  himself  stayed  for  some  time  longer  in  Roman  Asia. 
The  RI  t         Just  about  that  time  a  great  disturbance  arose     23 
at  about  the  Cause.  A  silversmith  named  Demetrius,     24 

Ephesus.      wno  made  silver  models  of  the  shrine  of  Artemis, 
and  so  gave  a  great  deal  of  work  to  the  artisans,  got  these     25 
men  together,  as  well  as  the  workmen  engaged   in  similar 
occupations,  and  said : 

"Men,  you  know  that  our  prosperity  depends  upon  this 


252  THE  ACTS,  19-2O. 

work,  and  you  see  and  hear  that  not  only  at  Ephesus,  but     26 
in  almost  the  whole  of  Roman  Asia,  this  Paul  has  convinced 
and  won  over  great  numbers  of  people,  by  his  assertion  that 
those  Gods  which  are  made  by  hands  are  not  Gods  at  all. 
So  that  not  only  is  this  business  of  ours  likely  to  fall  into  dis-     27 
credit,  but  there   is  the  further  danger  that  the  Temple  of 
the  great  Goddess  Artemis  will  be  thought  nothing  of,  and 
that  she  herself  will  be  deprived  of  her  splendour — though  all 
Roman  Asia  and  the  whole  world  worship  her." 
When  they  heard  this,  the  men  were  greatly  enraged,  and     28 
began  shouting — "  Great  is  Artemis  of  the  Ephesians  !  "     The     29 
commotion  spread   through  the  whole  city,  and   the   people 
rushed  together  into  the  amphitheatre,  dragging  with  them 
Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  two  Macedonians  who  were  Paul's 
travelling  companions.     Paul  wished  to  go  into  the  amphi-     30 
theatre  and  face  the  people,  but  the  disciples  would  not  let 
him,  while  some  of  the  chief  religious  officials  of  the  province,     31 
who  were  friendly  to  him,  sent  repeated  entreaties  to  him  not 
to  trust  himself  inside.     Meanwhile  some  were  shouting  one     32 
thing  and  some  another,  for  the  Assembly  was  all  in  con- 
fusion, most  of  those  present  not  even  knowing  why  they  had 
met.     But  some  of  the  crowd  prompted  Alexander,  whom  the     33 
Jews  had  pushed  to  the  front,  and  he  waved  his  hand  to  show 
that  he  wanted  to  speak  in  their  defence  to  the  people.     How-     34 
ever,  when  they  recognised  him  as  a  Jew,  one  cry  broke  from 
them  all,  and  they  continued  shouting  for  two  hours — "  Great 
is  Artemis  of  the  Ephesians  !  " 

When  the  Recorder  had  succeeded  in  quieting  the  crowd,  he     35 
said  : 

"  Men  of  Ephesus,  who  is  there,  I  ask  you,  who  needs  to  be 
told  that  this  city  of  Ephesus  is  the  Warden  of  the  Temple  of 
the  great  Artemis,  and  of  the  statue  which  fell  down  from 
Zeus  ?      As  these  are  undeniable  facts,  you  ought  to  keep     36 
calm  and  do  nothing  rash  ;  for  you  have  brought  these  men     37 
here,  though  they  are  neither  robbers  of  Temples  nor  blasphe- 
mers  of   our    Goddess.      If,    however,    Demetrius    and    the     38 
artisans  who   are  acting  with   him   have  a  charge  to  make 
against  any  one,  there  are  Court  Days  and  there  are  Magis- 
trates ;   let  both  parties  take  legal  proceedings.     But  if  you     39 
want  anything  more,  it  will  have  to  be  settled  in  the  regular 
Assembly.     For  I  tell  you  that  we  are  in  danger  of  being  pro-    40 
ceeded  against  for  to-day's  riot,  there  being  nothing  to  account 
for  it ;  and  in  that  case  we  shall  be  at  a  loss  to  give  any  reason 
for  this  disorderly  gathering." 
With  these  words  he  dismissed  the  Assembly.  41 

p»ui  again  in      When  the  uproar  had  ceased,  Paul  sent  for  the     i     2O 
or*«ce  and    disciples,  and,  with  encouraging  words,  bade  them 

*'••     irooHhviv  «nd  <itxrtpi\  on  liic  lonrnpv  tn  IVf  nrAHonin- 


Macodoni 


goodbye,  and  started  on  his  journey  to  Macedonia. 


THE  ACTS,  2O.  253 

After    going    through    those    districts  and    speaking  many     2 
encouraging  words   to   the  disciples,   he  went   into  Greece, 
where   he   stayed   three   months.     He  was   about  to  sail  to     3 
Syria,   when   he   learnt  that  a   plot   had   been   laid   against 
him  by  the  Jews  ;  so  he  decided  to  return  by  way  of  Mace- 
donia.    He  was  accompanied  by  Sopater  the  son  of  Pyrrhus,     4 
of    Beroea,    Aristarchus   and    Secundus    from   Thessalonica, 
Gaius    of    Derbe,    and    Timothy,    as    well   as    by  Tychicus 
and    Trophimus    of    Roman    Asia.      These    men    went    to    5 
PaUl         Troas  and  waited  for  us  there  ;   while  we  our-    6 

at  Troas.  selves  sailed  from  Philippi  after  the  Passover, 
and  joined  them  five  days  later  at  Troas,  where  we  stayed 
for  a  week. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  had  met   for  the     7 
Breaking  of  Bread,  Paul,  who  was   intending   to  leave  the 
next   day,  began   to   address   those  who   were   present,  and 
prolonged   his  address   till   midnight.     There   were   a  good     8 
many  lamps  in  the  upstairs  room,  where  we  had  met ;  and  a     9 
young   man   named   Eutychus,   sitting  at  the  window,   was 
gradually  overcome  with  great  drowsiness,  as  Paul  continued 
his  address.     At  last,  quite  overpowered  by  his  drowsiness,  he 
fell  from  the  third  storey  to  the  ground,  and  was  picked  up 
for  dead.     But  Paul  went  down,  threw  himself  upon  him,  and     10 
put  his  arms  round  him. 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,"  he  said,  "  he  is  still  alive." 
Then  he  went  upstairs  ;  and,  after  breaking  and  partaking  of     n 
the  Bread,  he  talked  with  them  at  great  length  till  daybreak, 
and  then  left.     Meanwhile  they  had  taken  the  lad  away  alive,     12 
and  were  greatly  comforted. 

Paul  We  started   first,   went  on    board   ship,   and     13 

at  Miletus,    sailed    for   Assos,    intending   to    take    Paul   on 
board  there.      This  was  by  his  own  arrangement,  as  he  in- 
tended to  go  by  land  himself.     So,  when  he  met  us  at  Assos,     14 
we  took  him  on  board  and  went  on  to  Mitylene.     The  day     15 
after  we  had  sailed  from  there,  we  arrived  off  Chios,  touched 
at    Samos    the    following   day,    and    the   next  day   reached 
Miletus  ;  for  Paul  had  decided  to  sail  past  Ephesus,  so  as  to     16 
avoid  spending  much  time  in  Roman  Asia.     He  was  making 
haste  to  reach  Jerusalem,  if  possible,  by  the  Festival  at  the 
close  of  the  Harvest. 

From  Miletus,  however,  he  sent  to  Ephesus  and  invited  the  17 
Officers  of  the  Church  to  meet  him  ;  and,  when  they  came,  he  tS 
spoke  to  them  as  follows  : 

"You  know  well  the  life  that  I  always  led  among  you  from 
the  very  first  day  that  I  set  foot  in  Roman  Asia,  serving  the     19 
Lord,  as  I  did,  in  all  humility,  amid  the  tears  and  trials  which 
fell  to  my  lot  through  the  plots  of  the  Jews.     I  never  shrank     20 
from  telling  you  anything  that  could  be  helpful  to  you,  or  from 


254  THE  ACTS,  2O-21. 

teaching  you  both  in  public  and  in  private.     I  earnestly  pointed     21 
both  Jews  and  Greeks  to  the  repentance  that  leads  to  God, 
and  to  faith  in  Jesus,  our  Lord.     And  now,  under  spiritual     22 
constraint,  I  am  here  on  my  way  to  Jerusalem,  not  knowing 
what  will  happen  to  me  there,  except  that  in  town  after  town     23 
the  Holy  Spirit  plainly  declares  to  me  that  imprisonment  and 
troubles  await  me.     But  I  count  my  life  of  no  value  to  myself,     24 
if  only  I  may  complete  the  course  marked  out  for  me,  and 
the  task  that  was  allotted  me  by  the  Lord  Jesus — which  was 
to  declare  the  Good  News  of  the  Love  of  God.     And  now,  I     25 
tell   you,  I    know   that   none  of  you   will   ever  see  my  face 
again — you   among  whom  I    have   gone  about   proclaiming 
the  Kingdom.     Therefore  I  declare  to  you  this  day,  that  my     26 
conscience  is  clear  in  regard  to  the  fate  of  any  of  you,  for  I     27 
have  not  shrunk  from  announcing  the  whole  purpose  of  God 
regarding  you.      Be  watchful  over  yourselves,  and  over  the     28 
whole   flock,    of  which   the    Holy   Spirit   has   placed  you  in 
charge,  to  shepherd  the  Church  of  God,  which  he  won  for 
himself  at  the  cost  of  his  life.      I   know  that,  after  my  de-     29 
parture,  merciless  wolves  will  get  in  among  you,  who  will  not 
spare  the  flock  ;  and  from  among  yourselves,  too,  men  will     30 
arise,  who  will  teach  perversions  of  truth,  so  as  to  draw  away 
the  disciples  after  them.     Therefore,   be  on  your  guard,  re-     31 
membering  how  for  three  years,  night  and  day,  I  never  ceased, 
even   with    tears,    to   warn   each   one  of  you.      And    now   I     32 
commend  you  to  the  Lord  and  to  the  Message  of  his  Love — a 
Message  which  has  the  power  to  build  up  your  characters,  and 
to  give  you  your  place  among  all  those  who  have  become 
Christ's  People.     I  have  never  coveted  any  one's  gold  or  silver     33 
or  clothing.     You,  yourselves,  know  that  these  hands  of  mine     34 
provided  not  only  for  my  own  wants,  but  for  my  companions 
also.     I  left  nothing  undone  to  show  you  that,  labouring  as  I     35 
laboured,  you  ought  to  help  the  weak,  and  to  remember  the 
words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said    himself — '  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.'" 

When  Paul  had  finished  speaking,  he  knelt  down  and  prayed     36 
with    them    all.      All   were    in    tears ;    and    throwing    their    37 
arms  round  Paul's  neck,  they  kissed  him  again  and  again, 
grieving  most  of  all  over  what  he  had  said — that  they  would     38 
never   see   his   face  again.     Then   they  escorted   him  to  the 
ship.         . 

Paul  When  we   had  torn  ourselves   away  and   had     i     ; 

•t  Tyro.      set  sail,  we  ran  before  the  wind  to  Cos  ;  the  next 
day  we  came  to  Rhodes,  and  from  there  to  Patara,  where  we     2 
found  a  ship  crossing  to  Phoenicia,  and  went  on  board  and 
set  sail.     After  sighting  Cyprus  and  leaving  it  on  the  left,  we     3 
sailed  to  Syria,  and  put   into  Tyre,  where   the  ship  was   to 

»  Pa.  74.  a.     *>  Deut.  33.  3—4. 


THE  ACTS,  21.  255 

discharge    her  cargo.      There   we    found    the    disciples   and     4 
stayed  a  week  with  them.     Speaking  under  the  influence  of 
the  Spirit,  they  warned   Paul  not  to  set  foot  in  Jerusalem. 
However,   when  we   had  come  to  the  end  of  our  visit,  we     5 
went  on   our  way,    all   the  disciples   with   their  wives   and 
children  escorting  us  out  of  the  city.     We  knelt  down  on  the 
beach,  and  prayed,  and  then  said  good-bye  to  one  another ;     6 
after  which  we  went  on  board,  and  they  returned  home. 

Pau,  After  we   had   made  the  run   from  Tyre,   we    7 

at  landed  at  Ptolemais,  and   exchanged   greetings 

caesarea.     wjth  the  Brethren  there,  and  spent  a  day  with 
them.     The  next  day  we  left,  and  reached  Caesarea,  where    8 
we  went  to  the  house  of  Philip,  the  Missionary,  who  was  one 
of  '  the  Seven,'  and  stayed  with  him.     He  had  four  unmarried     9 
daughters,  who  had  the  gift  of  prophecy.  During  our     10 

visit,  which  lasted  several  days,  a  Prophet,  named  Agabus, 
came  down  from  Judaea.     He  came  to  see  us,  and,  taking     n 
Paul's  girdle,  and  binding  his  own  feet  and   hands  with  it, 
said  : 

"This  is  what  the  Holy  Spirit  says — 'The  man  to  whom 
this  girdle  belongs  will  be  bound  like  this  at  Jerusalem  by  the 
Jews,  and  they  will  give  him  up  to  the  Gentiles '." 
When  we  heard  that,  we  and  the  people  of  the  place  began     12 
to  entreat  Paul  not  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem.     It  was  then  .that     13 
Paul  made  the  reply  : 

"Why  are  you  weeping  and  breaking  my  heart  like  this? 
For  my  part,  I  am  ready  not  only  to  be  bound,  but  even  to 
suffer  death  at  Jerusalem  for  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
So,  as  he  would  not  be  persuaded,  we  said  no  more  to  him,     14 
only  adding — "The  Lord's  will  be  done." 


Pau|  At  the  end  of  our  visit,  we  made  our  prepara-     15 

arrives  at     tions,  and  started  on  our  way  up  to  Jerusalem. 
Jerusalem.    Some  of  the  disciples  from  Caesarea  went  with     16 
us,  and  brought  Mnason  with  them,  a  Cypriot  disciple  of  long 
standing,  with  whom  we  were  to  stay.  On  our  arrival     17 

at  Jerusalem,  the  Brethren  there  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome ; 
and  the  next  day  Paul  went  with  us  to  see  James,  and  all  the     18 
Officers  of  the  Church  were  present.     After  greeting  them,     19 
Paul  related   in   detail   all   that   God   had   done  among  the 
Gentiles  through  his  efforts  ;  and,  when  they  had  heard  it,  they     20 
began  praising  God,  and  said  to  Paul  : 

"  You  see,  Brother,  that  the  Jews  who  have  become  believers 
in  Christ  may  be  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands,  and  they  are 
all  naturally  earnest  in  upholding  the  Jewish  Law.  Now  they  21 
have  heard  it  said  about  you,  that  you  teach  all  Jews  in  foreign 
countries  to  forsake  Moses,  for  you  tell  them  not  to  circumcise 
their  children  or  even  to  observe  Jewish  customs.  Well  now,  22 


256  THE  ACTS,  21. 

as  they  are  certain  to  hear  of  your  arrival,  do  what  we  are     23 
going  to  suggest.     We  have  four  men  here,  who  have  of  their 
own  accord  put  themselves  under  a  vow.     Join  these  men,     24 
share  their  purification,  and  bear  their  expenses,  so  that  they 
may  shave  their  heads  ;  and  then  all  will  see  that  there  is  no 
truth  in  what  they  have  been  told  about  you,  but  that,  on  the 
contrary,  you  yourself  rule  your  life  in  obedience  to  the  Jewish 
Law.    As  to  the  Gentiles  who  have  become  believers  in  Christ,     25 
we  have  sent  our  decision  that  they  should  avoid  food  offered 
to  idols,  and  blood,  and  the  flesh  of  strangled  animals,  and 
impurity." 

On  this,  Paul  joined  the  men,  and  the  next  day  shared  their     26 
purification,  and  went  into  the  Temple,  and  gave  notice  of  the 
expiration  of  the  period  of  purification  when  the  usual  offering 
should  have  been  made  on  behalf  of  each  of  them. 

Paul's  But,  just  as  the  seven  days  were  drawing  to  a     27 

Arrest.  close,  the  Jews  from  Roman  Asia  caught  sight  of 
Paul  in  the  Temple,  and  caused  great  excitement  among  all 
the  people  present,  by  seizing  Paul  and  shouting  :  28 

"  Men  of  Israel  !  help  !  This  is  the  man  who  teaches  every 
one  everywhere  against  our  People,  our  Law,  and  this  Place  ; 
and,  what  is  more,  he  has  actually  brought  Greeks  into  the 
Temple  and  defiled  this  sacred  place." 

(For  they  had  previously  seen  Trophimus  the  Ephesian  in  Paul's     29 
company  in  the  city,  and  were  under  the  belief  that  Paul  had 
taken  him  into  the  Temple.)     The  whole  city  was  stirred,     30 
and  the  people  quickly  collected,  seized  Paul,  and  dragged 
him  out  of  the  Temple,  when  the  doors  were  immediately 
shut.  They  were  bent  upon  killing  him,  when  it  was     31 

reported    to  the  Officer  commanding  the  garrison,   that  all 
Jerusalem   was   in  commotion.      He   instantly   got   together     32 
some  officers  and  men,  and  charged  down  upon  the  crowd, 
who,  when  they  saw  the  Commanding  Officer  and  his  men, 
stopped  beating  Paul.     Then  he  went  up  to  Paul,  arrested  him,     33 
ordered  him  to  be  doubly  chained,  and  proceeded  to  inquire 
who  he  was,  and  what  he  had  been  doing.     Some  of  the  crowd     34 
said  one  thing,  and  some  another ;  and,  as  he  could  get  no  defi- 
nite reply  on  account  of  the  uproar,  he  ordered  Paul  to  be  taken 
into  the  barracks.      When  Paul  reached  the  steps,  he  was     35 
actually  being  carried  by  the  soldiers,  owing  to  the  violence  of 
the  mob ;  for  the  people  were  following  in  a  mass,  shouting    36 
out:  ",Kill  him!" 

Just  as  he  was  about  to  be  taken  into  the  Fort,  Paul  said  to     37 
the  Commanding  Officer : 

"  May  I  speak  to  you  ?  " 

44  Do  you  know  Greek?"  asked  the  Commanding  Officer. 
"  Are  not  you,  then,  the  Egyptian  who  some  time  ago  raised  38 

36  Num.  6.  j. 


THE  ACTS,  21—22.  257 

an  insurrection  and  led  the  four  thousand  Bandits  out  into  the 
Wilderness  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Paul,  "  I  am  a  Jew  of  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  a  citizen     39 
of  a  city  of  some  note  ;  and  I  beg  you  to  give  me  permission 
to  speak  to  the  people." 

The  Commanding-  Officer  gave  his  permission,  and  Paul,  stand-    40 
ing  on  the  steps,  made  signs  with  his  hand  to  the  people,  and, 
when  comparative  silence  had  been  obtained,  he  spoke  to  them 
in  Hebrew,  as  follows  : 

"  Brothers  and  Fathers,  listen  to  the  defence     i 

Defence  to    which  I  am  about  to  make." 
the  People  of  When  they  heard  that  he  was  speaking  to  them     2 

Jerusalem.    jn  Hebrew,  they  were  still  more  quiet ;  and  Paul 
went  on  : 

"  I  am  a  Jew,  a  native  of  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  but  I  was  brought     3 
up  in  this  city  under  the  teaching  of  Gamaliel,  and  educated 
in  accordance  with  the  strict  system  of  our  ancestral  Law.      I 
was  as  zealous  in  God's  service  as  any  of  you  who  are  here  to- 
day.    In  my  persecution  of  this  Cause  I  did  not  stop  even  at    4 
the  taking  of  life.     I  put  in  chains,  and  imprisoned,  men  and 
women  alike — and  to  that  the  High  Priest  himself  and  all  the     5 
Council  can  testify.     For  I  had  letters  of  introduction  from 
them  to  our  fellow  Jews  at  Damascus,  and  I  was  on  my  way 
to    that    place,    to    bring    those   whom    I    might    find   there 
prisoners  to  Jerusalem  for  punishment.  While  I  was     6 

still  on  my  way,  just  as  I  was  getting  close  to  Damascus, 
about  mid-day,  suddenly  there  flashed  from  the  heavens  a 
great  light  all  round  me.     I  fell  to  the  ground,  and  heard  a    7 
voice  saying  to  me  '  Saul,  Saul,  why  are  you  persecuting  me  ?  ' 
'  Who  are  you,  Lord  ?  '  I  replied.     Then  the  voice  said  '  I  am     8 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  whom  you  are  persecuting.'     The  men  with     9 
me  saw  the  light,  but  did  not  hear  the  speaker's  voice.     Then     10 
I  said  'What  am  I   to  do,   Lord?'      'Get   up  and  go  into 
Damascus,'  the  Lord  said  to  me,   'and  there  you  shall  be 
told  all  that  you  have  been  appointed  to  do.'     In  consequence     n 
of  that  dazzling  light  I  could  not  see,  but  my  companions  led 
me  by  the  hand,  till  I  reached  Damascus.     There  a  man  named     12 
Ananias,  a  strict  observer  of  our  Law,  well  spoken  of  by  all  the 
Jewish  inhabitants,  came  to  see  me.     Standing  close  to  me,  he     13 
said  'Saul,  my  Brother,  recover  your  sight.'     And  then  and 
there  I  recovered  my  sight  and  looked  up  at  him.      Then  he     14 
said  '  The  God  of  our  ancestors  has  appointed  you  to  learn  his 
will,  and  to  see  the  Righteous  One,  and  to  hear  words  from  his 
lips  ;  for  you  shall  be  a  witness  for  him  to  all  the  world  of  what     15 
you  have  just  seen  and  heard.    And  now  why  wait  any  longer?     16 
Be  baptized  at  once,   wash  away  your  sins,  and  invoke  his 
Name.  After  my  return  to  Jerusalem,  while  I  was     17 

praying  one  day  in  the  Temple,  I  fell  into  a  trance,  and  saw     18 
Jesus  saying  to  me  '  Make  haste  and  leave  Jerusalem  at  once, 

K 


258  THE  ACTS,  22-23. 

because  they  will  not  accept  your  testimony  about  me.'     '  Lord,'     19 
I  answered,  '  these  people  know  that  I  used  to  imprison  and 
scourge,  in  Synagogue  after  Synagogue,  those  who  believed  in 
you  ;  and,  when  the  blood  of  your  martyr,  Stephen,  was  being     20 
shed,  I  was  myself  standing  by,  approving  of  his  death,  and 
took  charge  of  the  clothes  of  those  who  were  murdering  him. 
But  Jesus  said  to  me  '  Go  ;  for  I  will  send  you  to  the  Gentiles     21 
far  away '. " 

Paul's  claim       ^P  to  this  Pomt  the  people  had  been  listening      22 
as  a  Roman  to  Paul,  but  at  these  words  they  called  out : 

citizen.  «  j^ill  fo\m  \  A  fellow  like  this  ought  not  to  have 

been  allowed  to  live  ! " 

As  they  were  shouting,  tearing  off  their  clothes,  and  throwing     23 
dust  in  the  air,  the  Commanding  Officer  ordered  Paul  to  be     24 
taken  into  the  Fort,  and  directed  that  he  should  be  examined 
under  the  lash,  that  he  might  find  out  the  reason  for  their 
outcry  against  him.     But  just  as  they  had  tied  him  up  to  be     25 
scourged,  Paul  said  to  the  Captain  standing  near  : 

"Is  it  legal  for  you  to  scourge  a  Roman  citizen,  uncon- 
victed  ?  " 

On  hearing  this,  the  Captain  went  and  reported  it  to  the  Com-     26 
manding  Officer. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  are  doing  ?  "  he  said.     "  This  man 
is  a  Roman  citizen." 
So  the  Commanding  Officer  went  up  to  Paul  and  said  •  27 

"  Tell  me,  are  you  a  Roman  citizen  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Paul. 

"  I  had  to  pay  a  heavy  price  for  my  position  as  citizen,"  said     28 
the  Officer. 

"  I  am  one  by  birth,"  rejoined  Paul. 

The  men  who  were  to  have  examined  Paul  immediately  drew    29 
back,  and  the  Officer,  finding  that  Paul  was  a  Roman  citizen, 
was  alarmed  at  having  put  him  in  chains. 

On  the  next  day  the  Commanding  Officer,  wish-    30 
b4fbr«the    '"&  *°  finc^  out  the  real  reason  why  Paul  was  de- 
Hieh  council  nounced  by  the  Jews,  had  his  chains  taken  off, 
of  the  jaw*.  and  directed  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  whole  of  the 

High  Council   to  assemble,  and  then  took   Paul  down  and 

brought   him   before   them.      Paul  fixed  his  eyes  upon   the     i 

Council,  and  began  : 

"  Brothers,  for  my  part,   I    have   always   ordered  my  life 

before  God,  with  a  clear  conscience,  up  to  this  very  day. 

At  this,  the  High  Priest  Ananias  ordered  the  men  standing     2 

near  to  strike  him  on  the  mouth  ;  whereupon  Paul  turned  to     3 

him  and  said  : 

"  God  will  strike  you,  you  white-washed  wall !     Are  you 

sitting  there  to  try  me  in  accordance  with  law,  and  yet,  in 

defiance  of  law,  order  me  to  be  struck  ?  " 


THE  ACTS,  23.  259 

The  people  standing  near  said  to  Paul :  4 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  are  insulting  God's  High  Priest?  " 
"I  did  not  know,  Brothers,  that  it  was  the  High  Priest,"    5 

said  Paul,  "for  Scripture  says — 

'Of  the  Ruler  of  thy  People  thou  shalt  speak  no  ill'." 

Noticing  that  some  of  those  present  were  Sadducees  and  others     6 
Pharisees,  Paul  called  out  in  the  Council  :  1 

"  Brothers,  I  am  a  Pharisee  and  a  son  of  Pharisees.  It  is 
on  the  question  of  hope  for  the  dead  and  of  their  resurrection 
that  I  am  on  my  trial." 

As  soon  as  he  said  this,  a  dispute  arose  between  the  Pharisees     7 
and  the  Sadducees  ;  and  there  was  a  sharp  division  of  opinion 
among  those  present.      (For  Sadducees  say  there  is  no  such     8 
thing  as  a  resurrection,  and  that  there  is  neither  angel  nor 
spirit,  while  Pharisees  believe  in  both.)     So  a  great  uproar    9 
ensued,  and  some  of  the  Teachers  of  the  Law  belonging  to 
the  Pharisees'  party  stood  up  and  hotly  protested  : 

"  We  find  nothing  whatever  wrong  in  this  man.  Suppose  a 
spirit  did  speak  to  him,  or  an  angel — 

The  dispute  was  becoming  so  violent,  that  the  Commanding     10 
Officer,  fearing  that  Paul  would  be  torn  in  pieces  between 
them,  ordered  the  Guard  to  go  down  and  rescue  him  from 
them,  and  take  him  into  the  Fort. 

That  night  the  Lord  came  and  stood  by  Paul,  and  said  :  u 

"Courage  !  You  have  borne  witness  for  me  in  Jerusalem 
and  you  must  bear  witness  in  Rome  also." 

The  Plot          1°  the  morning  the  Jews  combined  together,      12 
against  Paul,  and  took  an  oath  that  they  would  not  eat  or  drink 
till  they  had  killed  Paul.     There  were  more  than  forty  in  the     13 
plot ;  and  they  went  to  the  Chief  Priests  and  the  Councillors,     14 
and  said  : 

"  We  have  taken  a  solemn  oath  not  to  touch  food  till  we  have 
killed  Paul.  So  we  want  you  now,  with  the  consent  of  the  15 
Council,  to  suggest  to  the  Commanding  Officer  that  he  should 
bring  Paul  down  before  you,  as  though  you  intended  to  go 
more  fully  into  his  case  ;  but,  before  he  comes  here,  we  will  be 
ready  to  make  away  with  him." 

However,  the  son  of  Paul's  sister,  hearing  of  the  plot,  went  to     16 
the  Fort,   and  on  being  admitted,  told  Paul  about  it.      Paul     i? 
called  one  of  the  Captains  of  the  garrison  and  asked  him  to 
take  the  lad  to  the  Commanding  Officer,  as  he  had  something 
to  tell  him.    The  Captain  went  with  the  lad  to  the  Command-     18 
ing  Officer,  and  said  : 

"  The  prisoner  Paul  called  me  and  asked  me  to  bring  this  lad 
to  you,  as  he  has  something  to  tell  you." 

The  Commanding  Officer  took  the  lad  by  the  hand,  and,  step-     19 
ping  aside,  asked  what  it  was  he  had  to  tell  him. 
5  Exod.  22.  28. 


260  THE  ACTS,  23-24. 

"  The  Jews  have  agreed,"  answered  the  lad,  "  to  ask  you  to     20 
bring  Paul  down  before  the  Council  to-morrow,  on  the  plea  of 
your  making  further  inquiry  into  his  case.     But  do  not  let  them     2 1 
persuade  you,  for  more  than  forty  of  them  are  lying  in  wait  for 
him,  who  have  taken  an  oath  that  they  will  not  eat  or  drink, 
till  they  have  made  away  with  him  ;  and  they  are  at  this  very 
moment  in  readiness,  counting  upon  your  promise." 
The  Commanding  Officer  then  dismissed  the  lad,  cautioning     22 
him  not  to  mention  to  anybody  that  he  had  given  him  that 
information.  Then  he  called  two  Captains,  and  ordered     23 

Paul  sent     them  to  have  two  hundred  men  ready  to  go  to 
to  Caesarea,  as  well  as  seventy  troopers  and   two 

caesarea.     hundred  lancers,  by  nine  o'clock  that  night,  and     24 
to  have  horses  ready  for  Paul  to  ride,  so  that  they  might  take 
him  safely  to  Felix,  the  Governor.      To  him  he  wrote  a  letter,     25 
somewhat  as  follows — 

'  Claudius  Lysias  sends  his  compliments  to  His  Ex-  26 

cellency  Felix  the  Governor.  The  man  whom  27 

I  send  with  this  had  been  seized  by  the  Jews,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  being  killed  by  them,  when  I  came  upon 
them  with  the  force  under  my  command,  and  rescued 
him,  as  I  learnt  that  he  was  a  Roman  citizen.  Wish-  28 

ing  to  ascertain  exactly  the  ground  of  the  charges  they 
made  against  him,  I  brought  him  before  their  Council, 
when  I  found  that  their  charges  were  connected  with  29 

questions  of  their  own  Law,  and  that  there  was  noth- 
ing alleged  involving  either  death  or  imprisonment. 
Having,  however,  information  of  a  plot  against  the  30 

man,  which  was  about  to  be  put  into  execution,  I  am 
sending  him  to  you  at  once,  and  I  have  also  directed 
his  accusers  to  prosecute  him  before  you.' 

The  soldiers,  in  accordance  with  their  orders,  took  charge     31 
of  Paul  and  conducted  him  by  night  to  Antipatris  ;  and  on  the     32 
next  day,  leaving  the  troopers  to  go  on  with  him,  they  returned  to 
the  Fort.     On  arriving  at  Caesarea,  the  troopers  delivered  the     33 
letter  to  the  Governor,  and  brought  Paul  before  him.     As  soon     34 
as  Felix  had  read  the  letter,  he  enquired  to  what  province  Paul 
belonged,  and,  learning  that  he  came  from  Cilicia,  he  said  : 

"  I  will  hear  all  you  have  to  say  as  soon  as  your  accusers     35 
have  arrived." 

And  he  ordered   Paul   to  be    kept   under  guard  in    Herod's 
Government  House. 

Paul  Five  days  afterwards  the  High  Priest  Ananias     i 

b«for«  F«IJM.  came  down  with  some  of  the  Councillors  and  a 
barrister  named  Tertullus.      They  laid  an  information  with 
the  Governor  against  Paul  ;  and,  when  the  hearing  came  on,     2 
Tertullus  began  his  speech  for  the  prosecution. 

"We  owe  it  to  your  Excellency,"  he  said,   "that  we  are    3 


THE  ACTS,  24.  261 

enjoying  profound  peace,  and  we  owe  it  to  your  foresight  that 
this  nation  is  constantly  securing  reforms — advantages  which 
we  very  gratefully  accept  at  all  times  and  places.     But — not  to     4 
be  tedious — I  beg  you,  with  your  accustomed  fairness,  to  listen 
to  a  brief  statement  of  our  case.     We  have  found  this  man  a     5 
public  pest ;  he  is  one  who  stirs  up  disputes  among  the  Jews 
all  the  world  over,  and  is  a  ringleader  of  the  Nazarene  heretics. 
He  even   attempted   to  desecrate   the  Temple  itself,  but  we     6 
caught  him ;   and  you  will  be  able,  by  examining  him  on  all     8 
these  points,  to  satisfy  yourself  as  to  the  charges  which  we  are 
bringing  against  him." 

The  Jews  also  joined  in  the  attack  and  bore  out  his  state-     9 
ments.  On  a   sign   from   the   Governor,  Paul   made     10 

this  reply  : 

"  Knowing,  as  I  do,  for  how  many  years  you  have  acted  as 
Judge  to  this  nation,  it  is  with  confidence  that  I  undertake  my 
own  defence.     For  you  can  easily  ascertain  that  it  is  not  more     1 1 
than  twelve  days  ago  that  I  went  up  to  worship  at  Jerusalem, 
where  my  prosecutors  never  found  me  holding  discussions  with     12 
any  one,  or  causing  a  crowd  to  collect — either  in  the  Temple,  or 
in  the  Synagogues,  or  about  the  city  ;  and  they  cannot  establish     13 
the  charges  which  they  are  now  making  against  me.     This,     14 
however,  I  do  acknowledge  to  you,  that  it  is  as  a  believer  in 
the  Cause  which  they  call  heretical,  that  I  worship  the  God  of 
my  ancestors.     At  the  same  time,  I  believe  everything  that  is 
in  accordance  with  the  Law  and  that  is  written  in  the  Prophets ; 
and  I  have  a  hope  that  rests  in  God — a  hope  which  they  also     15 
cherish — that  there  will  one  day  be  a  resurrection  of  good  and 
bad  alike.     This  being  so,  I  strive  at  all  times  to  keep  my     16 
conscience  clear  before  both  God  and  man.     After  some  years'     17 
absence  I  had  come  to  bring  charitable  gifts  to  my  nation,  and 
to  make  offerings  ;  and  it  was  while  engaged  in  this  that  they     18 
found  me  in  the  Temple,  after  completing  a  period  of  purifica- 
tion, but  not  with  any  crowd  or  disorder.     There  were,  how-     19 
ever,  some  Jews  from  Roman  Asia  who  ought  to  have  been 
here  before  you,  and  to  have  made  any  charge  that  they  may 
have  against  me — Or.  else  let  my  opponents  here  say  what     20 
they  found  wrong  in  me  when  I  was  before  the  Council,  except     21 
as  to  the  one  sentence  that  I  shouted  out  as  I  stood  among 
them — '  It  is  about  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  that  I  am  on 
my  trial  before  you  to-day '. " 

Felix,  however,  adjourned  the  case — though  he  had  a  fairly     22 
accurate  knowledge  of  all  that  concerned  the  Cause — with  the 
promise  : 

"When  Lysias,  the  Commanding  Officer,  comes  down,  I 
will  give  my 'decision  in  your  case." 

So  he  gave  orders  to  the  Captain  in  charge  of  Paul  to  keep  him     23 
in  custody,  but  to  relax  the  regulations,  and  not  to  prevent 
any  of  his  personal  friends  from  attending  to  his  wants. 


262  THE  ACTS,  24*-25. 

Some  days  later  Felix  came  with  his.wife  Drusilla,  who  was     24 
herself  a  Jewess,  and,  sending  for  Paul,  listened  to  what  he 
had   to   say  about  faith   in   Christ  Jesus.     But,   while   Paul     25 
was  speaking  at  length  about  righteousness,  self-control,  and 
the  coming  judgement,  Felix  became  terrified,  and  interrupted 
him — 

"  Go  for  the  present,  but,  when  I  find  an  opportunity,  I  will 
send  for  you  again." 

He  was  hoping,  too,  for  a  bribe  from  Paul,  and  so  he  used     26 
to  send  for  him  frequently  and  talk  with  him. 

But,  after  the  lapse  of  two  years,  Felix  was  succeeded  by     27 
Porcius  Festus  ;  and,  wishing  to  gain  popularity  with  the  Jews, 
he  left  Paul  a  prisoner. 


Paul  Three   days   after   Festus    had    entered   upon     i 

before        his  Province,  he  left  Caesarea  and  went  up  to 
Festus.       Jerusalem.      There    the   Chief  Priests   and    the     2 
leading  men  among  the  Jews  laid  an  information  before  him 
against  Paul,  and  asked  a  favour  of  him,  to  Paul's  injury —     3 
to   have    Paul   brought   to  Jerusalem.      All   the   while   they 
were  plotting  to  make  away  with  him  on  the  road.     But  Festus     4 
answered  that  Paul  was  in  prison  at  Caesarea,  and  that  he 
himself  would  be  leaving  for  that  place  shortly. 

"  So  let  the  influential  men  among  you,"  he  said,  "  go  down     5 
with  me,  and,  if  there  is  anything  amiss  in  the  man,  charge  him 
formally  with  it." 

After  staying  among  them  some  eight  or  ten  days,  Festus     6 
went  down  to  Caesarea.     The  next  day  he  took  his  seat  on  the 
Bench,  and  ordered  Paul  to  be  brought  before  him.     On  Paul's     7 
appearance,  the  Jews  who  had  come  down  from  Jerusalem  sur- 
rounded him,  and  made  many  serious  charges,  which  they  failed 
to  establish.      Paul's   answer   to   the   charge   was — '  I    have     8 
not  committed  any  offence  against  the  Jewish  Law,  or  the 
Temple,   or  the   Emperor.'     But,  as  Festus  wished  to  gain     9 
popularity  with  the  Jews,  he  interrupted  Paul  with  the  ques- 
tion : 

"Are  you  willing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  and  be  tried  on 
these  charges  before  me  there  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Paul,  "  I  am  standing  at  the  Emperor's  Bar,     10 
where  I  ought  to  be  tried.     I  have  not  wronged  the  Jews,  as 
you  yourself  are  well  aware.     If,  however,   I  am  breaking     n 
the  law  and  have  committed  any  offence  deserving  death,  I 
do  not  ask  to  escape  the  penalty  ;  but,  if  there  is  nothing  in 
the  accusations  of  these  people,  no  one  has  the  power  to  give 
me  up  to  them.     I  appeal  to  the  Emperor." 
Upon  that.  Festus,  after  conferring  with  his  Council,  answered  :     12 

"You  have  appealed  to  the  Emperor :  to  the  Emperor  you 
shall  go." 


THE  ACTS,  25-26.  263 

Paul  before        Some  days  later  King  Agrippa  and  Bernice  came     13 
Herod        down  to  Caesarea,  and  paid  a  visit  of  congratula- 

Agrippa.ii.    tjon  to  pestus  ;  and,  as  they  were  staying  there     14 
for  several  days,  Festus  laid  Paul's  case  before  the  King. 

"There  is  a  man  here,"  he  said,  "left  a  prisoner  by  Felix, 
about  whom,  when  Icame  tojerusalem,  the  Jewish  Chief  Priests     15 
and  the  Councillors  laid  an  information,  demanding  judge- 
ment against  him.    My  answer  to  them  was,  that  it  was  not  the     16 
practice  of  Romans  to  give  up  any  man  to  his  accusers  till  the 
accused  had  met  them  face  to  face,  and  had  also  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  answering  the  charges  brought  against  him.     So  they     17 
met  here,  and  without  loss  of  time  I  took   my  seat  on  the 
Bench  the  very  next  day,  and  ordered  the  man  to  be  brought 
before  me.    But,  when  his  accusers  came  forward,  they  brought     18 
no  charge  of  wrong-doing  such  as  I  had  expected  ;  but  I  found     19 
that  there  were  certain  questions  in  dispute  between  them 
about  their  own  religion,  and  about  some  dead  man  called 
Jesus,  whom  Paul  declared  to  be  alive.     And,  as  I  was  at  a  loss     20 
how  to  enquire  into  questions  of  this  kind,  I  asked  Paul  if  he 
were  willing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  be  put  upon  his 
trial.      Paul,   however,  appealed   to   have   his  case   reserved     21 
for  the  consideration  of  his  August  Majesty,  so  I  ordered  him  to 
be  detained  in  custody,  until  I  could  send  him  to  the  Emperor." 

"I  should  like  to  hear  this  man  myself,"  Agrippa  said  to     22 
Festus. 

"You  shall  hear  him  to-morrow,"  Festus  answered. 

So  the  next  day,  when  Agrippa  and  Bernice  had  come  in  full     23 
state  and  had  entered  the  Audience  Chamber,  with  the  superior 
officers  and  the  principal  people  of  the  city,  by  the  order  of 
Festus  Paul  was  brought  before  them.     Then  Festus  said  :          24 

"  King  Agrippa,  and  all  here  present,  you  see  before  you  the 
man  about  whom  the  whole  Jewish  people  have  applied  to  me, 
both  at  Jerusalem  and  here,  loudly  asserting  that  he  ought  not 
to  be  allowed  to  live.     I  found,  however,  that  he  had  not  done     25 
anything  deserving  death  ;  so,  as  he  had  himself  appealed  to 
his  August  Majesty,  I  decided  to  send  him.     But  I  have  noth-     26 
ing  definite  to  write  about  him  to  my  Imperial  Master  ;  and 
for  that  reason  I  have  brought  him  before  you  all,  and  especially 
before  you,  King  Agrippa,  that,  after  examining  him,  I  may 
have  something  to  write.     For  it  seems  to  me  absurd  to  send     27 
a  prisoner,  without  at  the  same  time  stating  the  charges  made 
against  him." 
Turning  to  Paul,  Agrippa  said  :  i 

"  You  are  at  liberty  to  speak  for  yourself." 
Then  Paul  stretched  out  his  hand  and  began  his  defence. 

"  I  have  been  congratulating  myself,  King  Agrippa,"   he     2 
said,  "  that  it  is  before  you  that  I  have  to  make  my  defence  to- 
day, with  regard  to  all  the  charges  brought  against  me  by 
Jews,  especially  as  you  are  so  well-versed  in  all  the  customs     3 


264  THE  ACTS,  26. 

and  questions  of  the  Jewish  world.     I  beg  you  therefore  to 
give  me  a  patient  hearing.  My  life,  then,  from  youth     4 

upwards,  was  passed,   from   the  very  first,  among  my  own 
nation,   and  in  Jerusalem,  and  is  within  the  knowledge  of 
all  Jews  ;  and  they  have  always  known — if  they  choose  to  give     5 
evidence — that,  in  accordance  with  the  very  strictest  form  of 
our  religion,  I  lived  a  true  Pharisee.     Even  now,  it  is  because     6 
of  my  hope  in  the  promise  given  by  God  to  our  ancestors  that 
I  stand  here  on  my  trial — a  promise  which  our  Twelve  Tribes,     7 
by  earnest  service  night  and  day,  hope  to  see  fulfilled.     It  is 
for  this  hope,  your  Majesty,  that  I  am  accused — and  by  Jews 
themselves  !      Why  do  you  all   hold  it   incredible   that  God     8 
should    raise    the   dead  ?  I    myself,    it    is    true,    once     9 

thought  it   my   duty   to   oppose  in  every  way  the  Name  of 
Jesus   of    Nazareth ;    and    I    actually   did   so   at  Jerusalem.     10 
Acting  on  the  authority  of  the  Chief  Priests,  I  myself  threw 
many  of  the  People  of  Christ  into  prison,  and,  when  it  was  pro- 
posed to  put  them  to  death,  I  gave  my  vote  for  it.     Time  after     n 
time,  in  every  Synagogue,   I  tried  by  punishments  to  force 
them  to  blaspheme.     So  frantic  was  I  against  them,  that  I 
pursued  them  even  to  towns  beyond  our  borders.  It     12 

was  while  I  was  travelling  to  Damascus  on  an  errand  of  this 
kind,  entrusted  with  full  powers  by  the  Chief  Priests,  that  at     13 
mid-day,  your  Majesty,  I  saw  right  in  my  path,  coming  from 
the  heavens,  a  light  brighter  than  the  glare  of  the  sun,  which 
shone  all  round  me  and  those  travelling  with  me.     We  all  fell     14 
to  the  ground,   and   then    I    heard  a  voice   saying  to  me  in 
Hebrew — '  Saul,    Saul,    why  are  you   persecuting   me  ?     By 
kicking  against  the  goad  you  are  punishing  yourself.'     '  Who     15 
are  you,  Lord?'  I  asked.     And  the  Lord  said  :  '  I  am  Jesus, 
whom  you  are  persecuting  ;  but  get  up  and  stand  upright ;     16 
for  I  have  appeared  to  you  in  order  to  appoint  you  a  servant 
and  a  witness  of  those   revelations  of  me  which  you   have 
already  had,  and  of  those  in  which  I  shall  yet  appear  to  you, 
since  I  am  choosing  you  out  from  your  own  people  and  from     17 
the  Gentiles,  to  whom  I  now  send  you,  to  open  their  eyes,  and     18 
to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  to  God ;  so  that  they  may  receive  pardon  for  their  sins, 
and  a  place  among  those  who  have  become  God's  People,  by 
faith  in  me.'  After  that,  King  Agrippa,  I  did  not  fail  to     19 

obey  the  heavenly  vision  ;  on  the  contrary,  first  to  those  at     20 
Damascus  and  Jerusalem,  and    then  through  the  whole  of 
Judaea,  and  to  the  Gentiles  as  well,  I  began  to  preach  repent- 
ance and  conversion  to  God,  and  a  life  befitting  that  repentance. 
This  is  why  the  Jews  seized  me  in  the  Temple,  and  made     21 
attempts  upon  my  life.      However  I  have  received  help  from     22 
God    to    this   very   day,    and    so    stand    here,    and   bear   my 
testimony  to  high  and  low  alike — without  adding  a  word  to 
J«  Ezelc.  a.  i.    "  i  Chron.  16.  35.    17—18  Jga.  42.  7(  ,e;  Deut.  33.  3,  4. 


THE  ACTS,  26-27.  265 

what  the  Prophets,  as  well  as  Moses,  declared  should  happen 
— that  the  Christ  must  suffer,  and  that,  by  rising  from  the     23 
dead,  he  was  destined  to  be  the  first  to  bring  news  of  Light,  not 
only  to  our  nation,  but  also  to  the  Gentiles." 

While  Paul  was  making  this  defence,  Festus  called  out  24 
loudly : 

"You  are  mad,  Paul ;  your  great  learning  is  driving  you 
mad. " 

"I  am  not  mad,  your  Excellency,"  he  replied;    "on  the     25 
contrary,  the  statements  that  I  am  making  are  true  and  sober. 
Indeed,  the   King  knows   about  these   matters,  so  I  speak    26 
before    him   without   constraint.      I    am   sure    that   there   is 
nothing  whatever  of  what  I  have  been  telling  him  that  has 
escaped  his  attention  ;   for  all   this   has  not  been  done   in  a 
corner.    King  Agrippa,  do  you  believe  the  Prophets  ?     I  know    27 
you  do." 
But  Agrippa  said  to  Paul  :  28 

"  You  are  soon  trying  to  make  a  Christian  of  me  ! " 

"Whether  it  is  soon  or  late,"  answered  Paul,  "  I  would  to     29 
God  that  not  only  you,  but  all  who  are  listening  to  me,  might 
to-day  become   just  what    I   am  myself — except    for    these 
chains  ! " 

Then  the  King  rose,  with  the  Governor  and  Bernice  and  30 
those  who  had  been  sitting  with  them,  and,  after  retiring,  dis-  31 
cussed  the  case  among  themselves. 

"There  is  nothing,"  they  said,   "deserving  death  or  im- 
prisonment in  this  man's  conduct "  ;  and,  speaking  to  Festus,     32 
Agrippa  added  : 

"The   man   might  have   been  discharged,  if  he  had   not 
appealed  to  the  Emperor." 


Paul's  ^s  **•  was  Decided  that  we  were  to  sail  to  Italy,     i 

voyage  to     Paul  and  some  other  prisoners  were  put  in  charge 
Rome.        of  a  Captain  of  the  Augustan  Guard,  named  Julius. 
We  went  on  board  a  ship  from  Adramyttium,  which  was  on     2 
the  point  of  sailing  to  the  ports  along  the  coast  of  Roman  Asia, 
and  put  to  sea.     Aristarchus,  a  Macedonian  from  Thessalonica, 
went  with  us.     The  next  day  we  put  into  Sidon,  where  Julius     3 
treated  Paul  in  a  friendly  manner,  and  allowed  him  to  go  to 
see  his  friends  and  receive  their  hospitality.      Putting  to  sea    4 
again,  we  sailed  under  the  lee  of  Cyprus,  because  the  wind  was 
against  us ;  and,  after  crossing  the  sea  of  Cilicia  and  Pamphylia,     5 
we  reached  Myra  in  Lycia.  There  the  Roman  Officer    6 

found  an  Alexandrian  ship  on  her  way  to  Italy,  and  put  us  on 
board  of  her.     For  several  days  our  progress  was  slow,  and  it    7 
was  only  with  difficulty  that  we  arrived  off  Cnidus.     As  the 
wind  was  still  unfavourable  when  we  came  off  Cape  Salmone, 


268  THE  ACTS,  27. 

we  sailed  under  the  lee  of  Crete-,  and  with  difficulty,  by  keeping    8 
close  in  shore,  we  reached  a  place  called  '  Fair  Havens,'  near 
which  was  the  town  of  Lasea. 

This  had  taken  a  considerable  time,  and  sailing  was  already     9 
dangerous,  for  the  Fast  was  already  over ;  and  so  Paul  gave 
this  warning. 

"My  friends,"  he   said,   "I   see  that  this  voyage  will  be     10 
attended  with  injury  and  much  damage,  not  only  to  the  cargo 
and  the  ship,  but  to  our  own  lives  also." 

The  Roman  Officer,  however,  was  more  influenced  by  the  cap-     1 1 
tain  and  the  owner  than  by  what  was  said  by  Paul.    And,  as  the     12 
harbour  was  not  a  suitable  one  to  winter  in,  the  majority  were 
in  favour  of  continuing  the  voyage,  in  the  hope  of  being  able 
to  reach  Phoenix,  and  winter  there.      Phoenix  was  a  Cretan 
harbour,  open  to  the  north-east  and  south-east.  So,     13 

when  a  light  wind  sprang  up  from  the  south,  thinking  that 
they  had  found  their  opportunity,  they  weighed  anchor  and 
kept  along  the  coast  of  Crete,  close  in  shore.     But  shortly     14 
afterwards   a   hurricane   came   down  on   us   off    the   land — 
a  north-easter,  as  it  is  called.      The  ship  was  caught  by  it     15 
and  was  unable  to  keep  her  head  to  the  wind,  so  we  had  to 
give  way  and  let  her  drive  before  it.     Running  under  the  lee     16 
of  a  small  island  called  Cauda,  we  only  just  managed  to  secure 
the  ship's  boat,  and,  after  hoisting  it  on  board,  the  men  frapped     17 
the  ship.      But,  afraid  of  being  driven  on  to  the  Syrtis  Sands, 
they  lowered  the  yard,  and  then  drifted.    So  violently  were  we     18 
tossed  about  by  the  storm,  that  the  next  day  they  began  throw- 
ing the  cargo  overboard,  and,  on  the  following  day,  threw  out     19 
the  ship's  tackle  with  their  own  hands.     As  neither  sun  nor     20 
stars  were  visible  for  several  days,  and,  as  the  gale  still  con- 
tinued severe,  all  hope  of  our  being  saved  was  at  last  aban- 
doned. It  was  then,  when  they  had  gone  a  long  time     21 
without  food,  that  Paul  came  forward,  and  said  : 

"  My  friends,  you  should  have  listened  to  me,  and  not  have 
sailed  from  Crete  and  so  incurred  this  injury  and  damage. 
Yet,  even  as  things  are,  1  urge  you  not  to  lose  courage,  for     22 
there   will    not   be  a  single   life   lost   among  you — only  the 
ship.      For    last   night  an    angel   of   the   God    to   whom    I     23 
belong,  and  whom   I  serve,  stood  by  me,  and  said — '  Have     24 
no  fear,   Paul  ;    you  must   appear   before   the  Emperor,  and 
God    himself   has   given    you   the   lives   of  all   your  fellow- 
voyagers.'    Therefore,  courage,  my  friends  !  for  I  believe  God,     25 
that  everything  will  happen  exactly  as  I  have  been  told.     We     26 
shall,  however,  have  to  be  driven  on  some  island." 

It  was  now  the  fourteenth  night  of  the  storm,  and  we  were     27. 
drifting  about  in  the  Adriatic  Sea,  when,  about  midnight,  the 
sailors  began  to  suspect  that  they  were  drawing  near  land. 
So  they  took  soundings,  and  found  twenty  fathoms  of  water.     28 
After  waiting  a  little,  they  took  soundings  again,  and  found 


THE  ACTS,  27-28.  267 

fifteen  fathoms.     Then,  as  they  were  afraid  of  our  being  driven     29 
Upon  some  rocky  coast,  they  let  go  four  anchors  from  the  stern, 
and  longed  for  daylight.  The  sailors  wanted  to  leave     30 

the  ship,  and  had  lowered  the  boat,  on  pretence  of  running 
out  anchors  from  the  bows,  when  Paul  said  to  the  Roman     31 
Officer  and  his  men  : 

"  Unless  the  sailors  remain  on  board,  you  cannot  be  saved." 
Upon  that  the  soldiers  cut  the  ropes  which  held  the  boat,  and     32 
let  her  drift  away.  In  the  interval  before  daybreak     33 

Paul  kept  urging  them  all  to  take  something  to  eat.         ,  j 

"It  is  a  fortnight  to-day,"  he  said,  "that,  owing  to  your 
anxiety,   you  have  gone  without  food,   taking  nothing.      So     34 
I   urge  you  to  take  something  to  eat ;   your  safety  depends 
upon  it,  for  not  one  of  you  will  lose  even  a  hair  of  his  head." 
With  these  words  he  took  some  bread,  and,  after  saying  the     35 
thanksgiving  to  God  before  them  all,  broke  it  in  pieces,  and 
began  to  eat ;  and  the  men  all  felt  cheered  and  had  something  to     36 
eat  themselves.    There  were  about  seventy-six  of  us  on  board,     37 
all  told.     After  satisfying  their  hunger,  they  further  lightened     38 
the  ship  by  throwing  the  grain  into  the  sea.  When     39 

Paul  is       daylight  came,  they  could  not  make  out  what 
shipwrecked,  land  it  was,  but,  observinga  creek  in  which  there 
was  a  beach,  they  consulted  as  to  whether  they  could  run  the 
ship  safely  into  it.      Then  they  cast  off,  and  abandoned  the     40 
anchors,  and  at  the  same  time  unlashed  the  gear  of  the  steer- 
ing oars,  hoisted  the  foresail  to  the  wind,  and  made  fcr  the 
beach.      They   got,   however,   into   a   kind   of  channel,    and     41 
there  ran  the  ship  aground.     The  bows  stuck  fast  and  could 
not  be  moved,  while  the  stern  began  breaking  up  under  the 
strain.  The  advice  of  the  soldiers  was  that  the  prisoners     42 

should  be  killed,   for   fear  that  any   of  them   should    swim 
away  and  make  their  escape.    But  the  Roman  Officer,  anxious     43 
to  save  Paul,  prevented  their  carrying  out  their  intention,  and 
ordered  that  those  who  could  swim  should  be  the  first  to 
jump  into  the  sea  and  try  to  reach  the  shore  ;  and  that  the     44 
rest  should  follow,  some  on  planks,  and  others  on  different 
pieces  of  the  ship.     In  these  various  ways  every  one  managed 
to  get  safely  ashore. 

Paul  When  we  were  all   safe,  we   found   that  the     i 

at  Malta,      island  was  called  Malta.     The  natives  showed  us     2 
marked  kindness,  for  they  lit  a  fire  and  took  us  all  under  shelter, 
because  it  had  come  on  to  rain  and  was  cold.     Paul  had     3 
gathered  a  quantity  of  dry  sticks  and  laid  them  on  the  fire, 
when  a  viper,  driven  out  by  the  heat,  fastened  on  his  hand. 
When  the  natives  saw  the  creature  hanging  from  his  hand,     4 
they  said  to  one  another  : 

"  Evidently  this  man  is  a  murderer,  for,  though  he  has  been 
saved  from  the  sea,  Justice  has  not  allowed  him  to  live." 


268  THE  ACTS,  28. 

However,  Paul  shook  the  creature  off  into  the  fire  and  took  no    5 
harm.     The  natives  were  expecting  inflammation  to  set  in,  or     6 
that  he  would  suddenly  fall  dead  ;  but,  after  waiting  for  a  long 
time,  and  seeing  that  there  was  nothing  amiss  with  him,  they 
changed  their  minds  and  said  that  he  was  a  God. 

In  that  neighbourhood  there  was  an  estate  belonging  to  the     7 
Governor  of  the  island,  whose  name  was  Publius.      He  took 
us  up  to  his  house,  and  for  three  days  entertained  us  most 
courteously.     It  happened  that  the  father  of  Publius  was  ly-    8 
ing  ill  of  fever  and  dysentery.     So  Paul  went  to  see  him  ;  and, 
after  praying,  he  placed  his  hands  on  him  and  cured  him. 
After  this,  all  the  people  in  the  island  who  had  any  illness  came     9 
to  Paul,  and  were  cured.     They  also  presented  us  with  many     ic 
gifts,  and  when  we  set  sail  they  put  supplies  of  necessaries  on 
board. 

Paul's  vo  age     After  three  months,  we  set  sail  in  a  ship  that     n 
to  Rome      had  wintered  in  the  island.     She  was  an  Alexan- 

continued.    dr;an  vessel,  and  had  the  Twin  Sons  of  Zeus  for 
her  figure-head.     We  put  in  at  Syracuse  and  stayed  there  three     12 
days,  and  from  there  we  worked  to  windward  and  so  got  to     13 
Rhegium.     A  day  later  a  south  wind  sprang  up  and  took  us  to 
Puteoli  in  two  days.     There  we  found  some  of  the  Brethren,     14 
and  were  urged  to  stay  a  week  with  them  ;  after  which  we 
went  on  to  Rome.     The  Brethren  there  had  heard  about  us,     15 
and  came  out  as  far  as  the  Market  of  Appius  and  the  Three 
Taverns  to  meet.us.     At  sight  of  them  Paul  thanked  God  and 
was  much  cheered. 

On  our  reaching  Rome,  Paul  was  allowed  to  live  by  himself,     16 
except  for  the  soldier  who  was  in  charge  of  him. 


Paul  Three  days  after  our  arrival,  Paul  invited  the 

at  Rom*,  leading  Jews  to  meet  him  ;  and,  when  they  came, 
he  spoke  to  them  as  follows  : 

"Brothers,  although^!  had  done  nothing  hostile  to  the  in- 
terests of  our  nation  or  to  our  ancestral  customs,  yet  I  was  sent 
from  Jerusalem  as  a  prisoner,  and  handed  over  to  the  Romans. 
The  Romans,  when  they  had  examined  me,  were  ready'to 
release  me,  because  there  was  nothing  in  my  conduct  deserv- 
ing death.  But,  as  the  Jews  opposed  my  release,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  appeal  to  the  Emperor — not,  indeed,  that  I  had  any 
charge  to  make  against  my  own  nation.  This,  then,  is  my 
reason  for  urging  you  to  come  to  see  me  and  talk  with  me ; 
because  it  is  for  the  sake  of  the  Hope  of  Israel  that  I  am  here 
in  chains." 

"  We,"  was  their  reply,  "  have  not  had  any  letter  about  you 
from  Judaea,  nor  have  any  of  our  fellow-Jews  come  and 
reported  or  said  anything  bad  about  you.  But  we  shall  be 


THE  ACTS,  28.  269 

glad  to  hear  from  you  what  your  views  are,  for,  with  regard  to 
this  sect,  we  are  well  aware  that  it  is  spoken  against  on  all 
sides." 

They  then  fixed  a  day  with  him,  and  came  to  the  place     23 
where  he  was  staying,  in  even  larger  numbers,  when  Paul 
proceeded  to  lay  the  subject  before  them.     He  bore  his  testi- 
mony to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  tried  to  convince  them 
about  Jesus,  by  arguments  drawn  from  the  Law  of  Moses 
and  from  the  Prophets — speaking   from  morning  till   even- 
ing. Some  were  inclined  to  accept  what   he   said  ;     24 
others,  however,  rejected  it.      So,  as  they  disagreed  among     25 
themselves,  they  began  to  disperse,  Paul  adding  only — 

"  True,  indeed,  was  the  declaration  made  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
through  the  Prophet  Isaiah  to  your  ancestors— 

'  Go  to  this  nation  and  say —  26 

"  You  will  hear  with  your  ears  without  ever  understanding, 
And,  though  you  have  eyes,  you  will  see  without  ever 

perceiving'." 

For  the  mind  of  this  nation  has  grown  dense,  27 

And  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing, 
Their  eyes  also  have  they  closed  ; 
Lest  some  day  they  should  see  with  their  eyes, 
And  with  their  ears  they  should  hear, 

And  in  their  mind  they  should  understand,  and  should  turn — 
And  I  should  heal  them.' 

Understand,  then,  that  this  Salvation  of  God  was  sent  for  the     28 
Gentiles  ;  and  they  will  listen." 

For  two  whole  years  Paul  stayed  in  a  house  which  he  rented     30 
for  himself,  welcoming  all  who  came  to  see  him,  proclaiming    31 
the   Kingdom  of  God,  and   teaching  about  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  with  perfect  fearlessness,  unmolested. 

26-27  Isa.  6.  9-10.    »  Ps.  67.  a. 


THE  LETTERS. 


THE  LETTER  OF  JAMES. 
THE  LETTERS  OF  PAUL— 

TO  THE  THESSALONIANS  I.  AND  II. 

TO  THE  GALATIANS. 

TO  THE  CORINTHIANS  I.  AND  II. 

TO  THE  ROMANS. 

TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 

TO  PHILEMON. 

TO  THE  EPHESIANS. 

TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS. 

TO  TIMOTHY  I.  AND  II. 

TO  TITUS. 

THE  LETTER  TO  HEBREWS. 

THE  LETTERS  OF  PETER  I.  AND  II. 

THE  LETTER  OF  JUDE. 

THE  LETTERS  OF  JOHN  I.,  II.  AND  III. 


THE   LETTER   OF  JAMES. 


FROM   JAMES 


ST.  JAMES'S  LETTER  TO  CHRISTIANS 
OF    JEWISH    ORIGIN. 


WRITTEN    PROBABLY    AT   JERUSALEM    AFTER 
44   A.D. 


THIS  Letter  is  believed  to  have  been  written  by  the  James 
who  was  known  to  the  Early  Church  as  '  James  the  Just.'  He 
was  not  an  Apostle,  but  was  one  of  the  brothers  of  Jesus,  and 
presided  over  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  in  which  position  he 
came  into  contact  with  large  numbers  both  of  Jews  and 
Christians  (Acts  12.  17;  15.  13).  The  Letter  is  addressed  to 
converts  from  Judaism,  and  speaks,  in  strong  condemnation, 
of  vices  which  prevailed  in  the  corrupt  society  of  Jerusalem, 
and  into  which  the  recent  converts  to  Christianity  were,  to 
some  extent,  relapsing.  There  are  indications  in  the  Letter 
that  some,  at  all  events,  of  those  for  whom  it  was  intended 
had  been  passing  through  days  of  persecution — possibly  the 
persecution  by  Herod  Agrippa  I.,  44  A.D.  (Acts  12.  i),  in  which 
the  Apostle  James  was  martyred.  The  writer  of  this  Letter 
met  with  a  similar  fate  in  63  A.D. 


FROM 

.:•-'.      JAMES.        •',"  i':{ 

I. — GREETING. 

JAMES,  a  Servant  of  God  and  of  the   Lord  Jesus  Christ,     i    1 
greets 

The  Twelve  Tribes  that  are  living  abroad. 

II. — ADVICE  UPON  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS. 

Trials.  ^fy  Brothers,  whatever  may  be  the  temptations     2 

that  beset  you  from  time  to  time,  always  regard 
them  as  a  reason  for  rejoicing,  knowing,  as  you  do,  that  the     3 
testing  of  your  faith  develops  endurance.     And  let  endurance   ^4 
do  its  work  perfectly,  so  that  you  may  be  altogether  perfect, 
and  in  no  respect  deficient. 

If  one  of  you  is  deficient  in  wisdom,  let  him  ask     5 
vwsdom!      wisdom  from  the  God  who  gives  freely  to  every  one 

without  reproaches,  and  it  will  be  given  to  him.  But    6 
let  him  ask  with  confidence,  never  doubting ;  for  the  man  who 
doubts  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  driven  hither  and  thither  at  the 
mercy  of  the  wind— such  a  man  must  not  expect  that  he  will  re-     7 
ceive  anything  from  the  Lord,  vacillating  as  he  is,  irresolute  at     8 
every  turn.  Let  a  Brother  in  humble  circumstances  be     9 

proud  of  his  exalted  position,  but  a  rich  Brother  of 
Wp^^ert"ld  humiliation  ;  for  the  rich  man  will  pass  away     10 

'  like  the  flower  of  the  grass.'     As  the  sun  rises,     n 
and  the  hot  wind  blows,  '  the  grass  withers,  its  flower  fades,' 
and  all  its  beauty  is  gone.      So  is  it  with  the  rich  man.     In 
the  midst  of  his  pursuits  he  will  come  to  an  untimely  end. 

Blessed  is  the  man  who  remains  firm  under     12 
>mptation.  temptat;on)  for)  when  he  has  stood  the  test,  he 
will  receive  the  crown  of  Life,  which  the  Lord  has  promised 
to  those  who  love  him.     Let  no  one  say,  when  he  is  tempted,     13 
"It  is  God  who  is  tempting  me  ! "     For  God,  who  cannot  be 

10-"  Isa.  40,  £—7,    12  Dan.  13.  12. 


276  JAMES,  1-2. 

tempted  to  do  wrong,  does  not  himself  tempt  any  one.     A     14 
man  is  in  every  case  tempted  by  his  own  passions — allured 
and   enticed   by   them.     Then    Passion  conceives  and   gives     15 
birth   to  Sin,  and    Sin,  on  reaching  maturity,   brings   forth 
Death.  Do  not  be  deceived,  my  dear  Brothers.     Every     16, 

good  thing  given  us,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  and 
comes  down  to  us  from  the  Maker  of  the  Lights  in  the  heavens, 
who  is  himself  never  subject  to  change  or  to  eclipse.  Because  18 
he  so  willed,  he  gave  us  Life,  through  the  Message  of  the 
Truth,  so  that  we  should  be,  as  it  were,  an  earnest  of  still 
further  creations. 

Mark  this,  my  dear  Brothers  : — Let  every  one     19 
Religion.      ^e  quick  to  listen,  slow  to  speak,  and  slow  to  get 

angry;  for  the  anger  of  man  does  not  forward  the     20 
righteous  purpose  of  God.     Therefore,  have  done  with  all     21 
filthiness  and  whatever  wickedness  still  remains,  and  in  a 
humble  spirit  receive  that  Message  which  has  been  planted  in 
your  hearts  and  is  able  to  save  your  souls.  Put  that     22 

Message  into  practice,  and  do  not  merely  listen  to  it — deceiving 
yourselves.     For,  when  any  one  listens  to  it  and  does  not    23 
practice  it,  he  is  like  a  man  looking  at  his  own  face  in  a  mirror. 
He  looks  at  himself,  then  goes  on  his  way,  and  immediately     24 
forgets  what  he  is  like.     But  he  who  looks  carefully  into  the     25 
perfect  Law,  the  Law  of  Freedom,  and  continues  to  do  so,  not 
listening  to  it  and  then  forgetting  it,  but  putting  it  into  prac- 
tice— that  man  will  be  blessed  in  what  he  does.  When    26 
a  man  appears  to  be  religious,  yet  does  not  bridle  his  tongue, 
but  imposes  upon  his  own  conscience,  that  man's  religious 
observances  are  valueless.     That  religious  observance  which     27 
is  pure  and  spotless  in  the  eyes  of  God  our  Father  is  this — 
to  visit  orphans  and  widows  in  their  trouble,  and  to  keep  one- 
self uncontaminated  by  the  world. 


ill. — WARNING  UPON  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS. 

on  the  My  Brothers,  are  you  really  trying  to  combine 

Treatment    faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  our  glorified  Lord,  with  the 
^£J£*        worship  of  rank  ?     Suppose  a  man  should  enter 
your  Synagogue,  with  gold  rings  and  in  grand 
clothes,  and  suppose  a   poor  man   should   come   in  also,  in 
shabby  clothes,  and  you  are  deferential  to  the  man  who  is 
wearing  grand  clothes,  and  say — "There  is  a  good  seat  for 
you  here,     but  to  the  poor  man— "You  must  stand  ;   or  sit 
down  there  by  my  footstool,"  is  not  that  to   make  distinc- 
tions among  yourselves,  and  to  show  yourselves  prejudiced 
judges?  Listen,  my  dear  Brothers.     Has   not   God 

chosen  those  who  are  poor  in  the  things  of  this  world  to  be  rich 


JAMES,  2.  £77 

through  their  faith,  and  to  possess  the  Kingdom  which  he  has 
promised  to  those  who  love  him  ?     But  you — you  insult  the    6 
poor  man  !     Is  not  it  the  rich  who  oppress  you  ?     Is  not  it  they 
who  drag  you  into  law-courts  ?     Is  not  it  they  who  malign  that     7 
honourable  Name  which  has  been  bestowed  upon  you  ?    Yet,  if    8 
you  keep  the  royal  law  which  runs — 'Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bour as  thou  dost  thyself,'  you  are  doing  right  ;  but,  if  you     9 
worship  rank,  you  commit  a  sin,  and  stand  convicted  by  that 
same  law  of  being  offenders  against  it.  For  a  man  who     10 

has  laid  the  Law,  as  a  whole,  to  heart,  but  has  failed  in  one 
particular,  is  liable  for  breaking  all  its  provisions.     He  who  said     1 1 
'  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery '  also  said  '  Thou  shalt  not 
murder.'     If,  then,  you  commit  murder  but  not  adultery,  you 
are  still  an  offender  against  the  Law.     Therefore,  speak  and     12 
act  as  men  who  are  to  be  judged  by  the  '  Law  of  Freedom.' 
For  there  will  be  justice  without  mercy  for  him  who  has  not     13 
acted  mercifully.     Mercy  triumphs  over  Justice. 

My  Brothers,  what  is  the  good  of  a  man's  saying     14 
On '  Faith     that  he  has  faith,  if  he  does  not  prove  it  by  actions  ? 
^"J^,       Can  such  faith  save  him  ?    Suppose  some  Brother     15 

or  Sister  should  be  in  want  of  clothes  and  of  daily 
bread,  and  one  of  you  were  to  say  to  them — "  Go,  and  peace     16 
be  with  you  ;  find  warmth  and  food  for  yourselves,"  and  yet  you 
were  not  to  give  them  the  necessaries  of  life,  what  good  would 
it  be  to  them  ?     In  just  the  same  way  faith,  if  not  followed  by     17 
actions,  is,  by  itself,  a  lifeless  thing.     Some  one,  indeed,  may     18 
say — "You  are  a  man  of  faith,  and  I  am  a  man  of  action." 
"  Then  show  me  your  faith,"  I  reply,  "apart from  any  actions, 
and  I  will  show  you  my  faith  by  my  actions."     It  is  a  part  of    19 
your  Faith,  is  it  not,  that  there  is  one  God  ?     Good  ;  yet  even 
the  demons  have  that  faith,  and  tremble  at  the  thought.     Now     20 
do  you  really  want  to  understand,  you  foolish  man,  how  it  is 
that  faith  without  actions  leads  to   nothing  ?     Look  at  our    21 
ancestor,  Abraham.     Was  not  it  the  result  of  his  actions  that  he 
was  pronounced  righteous  after  he  had  offered  his  son,  Isaac, 
on  the  altar?     You  see  how,  in  his  case,  faith  and  actions     22 
went  together  ;  that  his  faith  was  perfected  as  the  result  of  his 
actions  ;  and  that  in  this  way  the  words  of  Scripture  came    23 
true — "Abraham  believed  God,  and  that  was  regarded  by  God 
as  righteousness,"  and  "  He  was  called  the  friend  of  God." 
You  see,  then,  that  it  is  as  the  result  of  his  actions  that  a  man  is     24 
pronounced  righteous,  and  not  of  his  faith  only.     Was  not  it     25 
the  same  with  the  prostitute,  Rahab  ?    Was  not  it  as  the  result 
of  her  actions  that  she  was  pronounced  righteous,  after  she 
had  welcomed  the  messengers  and  hastened  them  away  by  a 
different  road  ?     Exactly  as  a  body  is  dead  without  a  spirit,     26 
so  faith  is  dead  without  actions. 

8  Lev.   19.   18.       H  Exod.   20.    13 — 14 ;    Deut.  5.    17 — 18.       21  Gen.   22.   2.  9. 
23  Gen.  15.  6  ;   Isa.  41.  8. 


278  JAMES,  3-4. 

On  I  do  not  want  many  of  you,  my  Brothers,  to     i 

the  control    become  teachers,  knowing,  as  you  do,  that  we 
Ton*1*!*,      who  teach   shall   be  judged   by  a  more  severe 

standard  than  others.     We  often  make  mistakes,     2 
every  one  of  us.     Any  one  who  does  not  make  mistakes  when 
speaking  is  indeed  a  perfect  man,  able  to  bridle  his  whole  body 
as  well.     When  we  put  bits  into  horses'  mouths,  to  make  them     3 
obey  us,  we  control  the  rest  of  their  bodies  also.     Again,  think     4 
of  ships.     Large  as  they  are,  and  even  when  driven  by  fierce 
winds,  they  are  controlled  by  a  very  small  rudder  and  steered 
in  whatever  direction  the  man  at  the  helm  may  determine.     So     5 
is  it  with  the  tongue.    Small  as  it  is,  it  is  a  great  boaster.    Think 
how  tiny  a  spark  may  set  the  largest  forest  ablaze  I     And  the    6 
tongue  is  like  a  spark.     Among  the  members  of  our  body  it 
proves  itself  a  very  world  of  mischief;    it  contaminates  the 
whole  body  ;  it  sets  the  wheels  of  life  on  fire,  and  is  itself  set 
on  fire  by  the  flames  of  the  Pit.     For  while  all  sorts  of  beasts    7 
and  birds,  and  of  reptiles  and  creatures  in  the  sea,  are  tame- 
able, and  actually  have  been  tamed  by  man,  no  human  being    8 
can  tame  the  tongue.     It  is  a  restless  plague  !     It  is  charged 
with  deadly  poison  !     With  it  we  bless  our  Lord  and  Father,     9 
and  with  it  we  curse  men  who  are  made  'in  God's  likeness.' 
From  the  very  same  mouth  come  blessings  and  curses  !     My     10 
Brothers,  it  is  not  right  that  this  should  be  so.     Does  a  spring     1 1 
give  both  good  and  bad  water  from  the  same  source  ?     Can  a     12 
fig  tree,  my  Brothers,  bear  olives  ?  or  a  vine  bear  figs  ?     No, 
nor  can  a  brackish  well  give  good  water. 

Against  Who  among  you  claims  to  be  wise  and  intelli-     13 

raise        gent  ?     Let  him  show  that  his  actions  are  the  out- 
>m'     come  of  a  good  life  lived  in  the  humility  of  true 
wisdom.   But,  while  you  harbour  envy  and  bitterness  and  a  spirit     14 
of  rivalry  in  your  hearts,  do  not  boast  or  lie  to  the  detriment  of 
the  Truth.     That  is  not  the  wisdom  which  comes  from  above  ;     15 
no,  it  is  earthly,  animal,  devilish.     For,  where  envy  and  rivalry     16 
exist,  there  you  will  also  find  disorder  and  all  kinds  of  base 
actions.     But  the  wisdom  from  above  is,  before  every  thing     17 
else,    pure  ;    then   peace-loving,   gentle,   open  to  conviction, 
rich  in  compassion  and  good  deeds,  and  free  from  partiality 
and  insincerity.     And  righteousness,  its  fruit,  is  sown  in  peace     18 
by  those  who  work  for  peace. 

Acainst          What  is  the  cause  of  the  fighting  and  quarrel-     i    < 
Party-strife,   ling  that  goes  on  among  you  ?     Is  not  it  to  be 
found  in  the  desires  which  are  always  at  war 
within  you  ?     You  crave,  yet  do  not  obtain.     You  murder  and     2 
rage,  yet  cannot  gain  your  end.     You  quarrel  and  fight.     You 
do  not  obtain,  because  you  do  not  ask.     You  ask,  yet  do  not     3 
receive,  because  you  ask  for  a  wrong  purpose — to  spend  what 

'•>  Gen.  i.  36. 


JAMES,  4-5.  279 

you  get  upon  your  pleasures.     Unfaithful  people  !     Do  not    4 
you  know  that  to  be  friends  with  the  world  means  to  be  at 
enmity  with  God  ?     Therefore  whoever  chooses  to  be  friends 
with  the  world  makes  himself  an  enemy  to  God.     Do  you  sup-    5 
pose  there  is  no  meaning  in  the  passage  of  Scripture  which 
asks — '  Is  envy  to  result  from  the  longings  of  the  Spirit  which 
God  has  implanted  within  you  ? '     No  ;  the  gift  that  God  gives     6 
is  for  a  nobler  end  ;  and  that  is  why  it  is  said — '  God  is  opposed 
to  the  haughty,  but  gives  help  to  the  humble.'  There-    7 

fore  submit  to  God  ;  but  resist  the  Devil,  and  he  will  flee  from 
you.     Draw  near  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  near  to  you.     Make     8 
your  hands  clean,  you  sinners  ;   and  your  hearts  pure,  you 
vacillating   men !     Grieve,    mourn,    and    lament !     Let   your    9 
laughter  be  turned  to  mourning,  and  your  happiness  to  gloom  ! 
Humble  yourselves  before  the  Lord,  and  he  will  exalt  you.  10 

Do   not  disparage  one  another,   Brothers.     He  who  dis-     n 
parages  his  Brother,  or  passes  judgement  on  his  Brother,  dis- 
parages the  Law  and  passes  judgement  on  the  Law.     But,  if 
you  pass  judgement  on  the  Law,  you  are  not  obeying  it,  but 
judging  it.     There  is  only  one  Lawgiver  and  Judge — he  who     12 
has  the  power  both  to  save  and  to  destroy.     But  who  are  you 
that  pass  judgement  on  your  neighbour? 


A  a.net          Listen  to  me, you  who  say  '  To-day  or  to-morrow     13 
Presumption,  we  will  go  to  such  and  such  a  town,  spend  a  year 

there,  and  trade,  and  make  money,'  and  yet  you  do     14 
not  know  what  your  life  will  be  like  to-morrow  !     For  you  are 
but  a  mist  appearing  for  a  little  while  and  then  disappearing. 
You  ought,  rather,  to  say  '  If  the  Lord  wills,  we  shall  live  and     15 
do  this  or  that.'     But,  as  it  is,  you  are  constantly  boasting     16 
presumptuously!    All  such  boasting  is  wicked.     He,  then,  who     17 
knows  what  is  right  but  fails  to  do  it — that  is  sin  in  him. 

Listen  to  me,  you  rich  men,  weep  and  wail  for     i 
opp^aefon.    tj16  miseries  that  are  coming  upon  you  !     Your     2 

riches  have  wasted  away,  and  your  clothes  have 
become  moth-eaten.     Your  gold  and  silver  are  rusted  ;  and     3 
the  rust  on  them  shall  be  evidence  against  you,  and  shall  eat 
into  your  very  flesh.     It  was  fire,  so  to  speak,  that  you  stored 
up  for  yourselves  in  these  last  days.     I  tell  you,  the  wages  of    4 
the  labourers  who  mowed  your  fields,  which  you  have  been 
fraudulently  keeping  back,  are  crying  out  against  you,  and  the 
outcries  of  your  reapers  have  reached  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  !     You  have  lived  on  earth  a  life  of  extravagance  and     5 
luxury  ;  you  have  indulged  your  fancies  in  a  time  of  bloodshed. 
You  have  condemned,  you  have  murdered,  the  Righteous  One  !     6 
Must  not  God  be  opposed  to  you  ? 

6  Prov.  3.  34.    3  Prov.  16.  27.    4  Deut.  24,  15,  17  :  Mai.  3.  5  ;  Isa.  5.  9.    8  Jer.  12.  3. 


JAMES,  5. 


IV. — CONCLUDING  EXHORTATIONS. 
Be  patient,  then,  Brothers,  till  the  Coming-  of    7 

cnristian        . «         T          i         T-»  ,1          c  i  *       f 

Patience,     the   Lord.     Even    the   farmer   has    to    wait   for 
the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  watching  over  it 
patiently,  till  it  has  had  the  spring  and  summer  rains.     And     8 
you  must  be  patient  also,  and  not  be  discouraged  ;  for  the 
Lord's  Coming  is  near.     Do  not  make  complaints  against  one     9 
another,  Brothers,  or  judgement  will  be  passed  upon  you.    The 
Judge   is   already  standing   at  the   door !     Brothers,   as   an     10 
example   of  the   patient    endurance    of    suffering,    take   the 
Prophets  who  spoke  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.     We  count  those     1 1 
who  displayed  such  endurance  blessed  !     You  have  heard,  too, 
of  Job's  endurance,  and  have  seen  what  the  Lord's  purpose 
was,  for  '  the  Lord  is  full  of  pity  and  compassion.' 

Above  all  things,  my  Brothers,  never  take  an     12 
oath,  either  by  heaven,  or  by  earth,  or  by  any- 
thing else.     With  you  let  '  Yes  '  suffice  for  yes, 
and  '  No  '  for  no,  so  that  you  may  escape  condemnation. 

If  any  one  of  you  is  in  trouble,  let  him  pray;     13 
The  Power    jf  anv  one   is  happy,  let  him   sing  hymns      If    14 

Prayer.       anv   one   °f   vou    1S    '^>    ^et   him    send   for   the 
Officers  of  the  Church,  and  let  them  pray  over 
him,  after  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.    The     15 
prayer  offered  in  faith  will  save  the  man  who  is  sick,  and  the 
Lord  will  raise  him  from  his  bed  ;  and  if  he  has  committed 
sins,  he  will  be  forgiven.     Therefore,  confess  your  sins  to  one     16 
another  and  pray  for  one  another,   that  you  may  be  cured. 
Great  is  the  power  of  a  good  man's  fervent  prayer.    Elijah  was     17 
only  a  man  like  ourselves,  but,  when  he  prayed  fervently  that  it 
might  not  rain,  no  rain  fell  upon  the  land  for  three  years  and 
a  half.     And,  when  he  prayed  again,  the  clouds  brought  rain,     18 
and  the  land  bore  crops.  My  Brothers,  should  one  of    19 

you  be  led  astray  from  the  Truth,  and  some  one 
Bleslednes*  bring  him  back  again,  be  sure  that  he  who  brings     20 
of  saving     a  sinner  back  from  his  mistaken  ways  will  save 
a  SOUL       that  man's  soui  from  Death,  and  throw  a  veil  over 
countless  sins. 

1  Deut  11.14.    u  Da"-  "•  ™  '•  p»-  I03-  8.    n  Prov.  10.  13. 


THE   LETTERS   OF   PAUL. 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 
I. 


ST.  PAUL'S  FIRST  LETTER  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS. 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  DURING  HIS  STAY  AT 
CORINTH,  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  HIS  SECOND 
MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  ABOUT  52  A.D. 


THESSALONICA,  now  the  Turkish  town  of  Salonica,  was  an 
important  seaport  in  Macedonia,  on  the  great  highway  by 
which  trade  travelled  between  Europe  and  Roman  Asia. 
Attracted,  probably,  by  its  large  Jewish  population,  and  by  its 
admirable  position  as  a  centre  for  the  diffusion  of  his  Message, 
the  Apostle  Paul  visited  the  town  in  the  course  of  his  second 
missionary  journey  (Acts  17),  preaching  in  the  Synagogue,  and 
working  at  his  trade  as  a  tent-maker  (I.  Thess.  2.  9 ;  II.  Thess. 
3.  8).  At  first  he  gained  many  converts,  but  after  a  short  time 
his  unbelieving  countrymen  succeeded  in  arousing  a  strong 
opposition  against  him  and  his  companions.  This  was  carried 
so  far  that  a  mob  collected  and  attacked  the  house  in  which 
they  were  staying,  and  Paul  and  Silas  barely  escaped  with  their 
lives.  Leaving  Thessalonica,  they  went  on  to  Beroea,  and  from 
there  to  Athens  and  Corinth.  But  while  the  Apostle  was  at 
Athens,  news  reached  him  that  the  little  Christian  community, 
from  which  he  had  thus  been  compelled  to  part,  was  itself  suffer- 
ing persecution.  On  hearing  this,  the  keen  interest  which  he 
felt  in  their  welfare  made  him  eager  to  return  to  them  (2.  18). 
But,  this  proving  at  the  time  impossible,  he  sent  Timothy  to 
them,  to  obtain  further  information,  and  to  comfort  and  en- 
courage them  amidst  their  sufferings  (3.  2).  Upon  Timothy's 
return  to  Corinth,  with  good  news  of  the  faith  and  love  shown 
by  the  Thessalonian  converts,  the  Apostle  wrote  this  Letter. 


ro  THE 

THESSALONIANS. 
I. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  Thessalonian  Church  in  union  with  God 
Greeting.      the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
FROM  Paul,  Silas,  and  Timothy. 
May  God  bless  you  and  give  you  peace. 


II. — THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS. 

We  always  mention   you   in  our  prayers  and  thank  God     2 
for  you  all ;  recalling  continually  before  our  God  and  Father     3 

the  efforts  that  have  resulted  from  your  faith, 
HIS  Thank-    ^e  jojj  prompted  by  your  love,  and  the  patient 

rulneas  for  .  ^    •        j    «  \  •  TJ 

their  Faith,    endurance  sustained  by  your  hope  in  our  Lord 
and  its       Jesus  Christ.      Brothers,   whom  God  loves,  we    4 
ice'     know  that  he  has  chosen  you,  because  the  Good     5 
News  that  we  brought  came  home  to  you,  not  merely  as  so 
many  words,  but  with  a  power  and  a  fulness  of  conviction  due 
to  the  Holy  Spirit.     For  you  know  the  life  that  we  lived  among 
you  for  your  good.     And  you  yourselves  began  to  follow,  not    6 
only  our  example,  but  the  Master's  also  ;  and,  in  spite  of  much 
suffering,  you  welcomed  the  Message  with  a  joy  inspired  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  so  became  a  pattern  to  all  who  believed     7 
in  Christ  throughout  Macedonia  and  Greece.      For  it  was    8 
from   you   that   the    Lord's    Message   resounded   throughout 
Macedonia  and  Greece  ;  and,  more  than  that,  your  faith  in 
God  has  become  known  far  and  wide  ;  so  that  there  is  no 
need  for  us  to  say  another  word.     Indeed,  in  speaking  about    9 
us,  the  people  themselves  tell  of  the  reception  you  gave  us, 
and  how,  turning  to  God  from  your  idols,  you  became  servants 
of  the  true  and  living  God,  and  are  now  awaiting  the  return     10 
from  Heaven  of  his  Son  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead — 
Jesus,  our  deliverer  from  the  Coming  Wrath. 


284  I.  THESSALONIANS,  2. 

Yes,  Brothers,  you  yourselves  know  that  your     i 
HI*  Life       reception   of  us   was  not  without  result.     For,     2 

u   although    we    had    experienced    suffering    and 
ill-treatment,     as     you     know,    at     Philippi,     we     had     the 
courage,  by  the   help  of  our  God,  to   tell  you   God's   Good 
News    in    spite    of   great    opposition.     Our    appeal    to   you     3 
was  not  based  on  a  delusion,   nor  was   it   made   from  un- 
worthy  motives,    or  with   any  intention  of  misleading  you. 
But,  having  been  found  worthy  by  God  to  be  entrusted  with     4 
the  Good  News,  therefore  we  tell  it ;  with  a  view  to  please,  not 
men,  but  God  who  proves  our  hearts.     Never  at  any  time,     5 
as  you  know,  did  we  use  the  language  of  flattery,  or  make 
false  professions  in  order  to  hide  selfish  aims.     God  will  bear 
witness  to  that.     Nor  did  we  seek  to  win  honour  from  men,     6 
whether  from  you  or  from  others,  although,  as  Apostles  of 
Christ,  we  might  have  burdened  you  with  our  support.     But     7 
we  lived  among  you  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child  ;  we  were 
like  a  woman  nursing  her  own  children.     In  our  strong  affec-    8 
tion  for  you,  that  seemed  to  us  the  best  way  of  sharing  with  you, 
not  only  God's  Good  News,  but  our  very  lives  as  well — so  dear 
had  you  become  to  us.    You  will  not  have  forgotten,  Brothers,     9 
our  labour  and  toil.     Night  and  day  we  used  to  work  at  our 
trades,  so  as  not  to  be  a  burden  to  any  of  you,  while  we  pro- 
claimed to  you  God's  Good  News.    You  will  bear  witness,  and     10 
God  also,  that  our  relations  with  you  who  believed  in  Christ 
were  pure,  and  upright,  and  beyond  reproach.     Indeed,  you     n 
know  that,   like   a  father  with  his  own   children,   we  used 
to  encourage  and  comfort  every  one  of  you,  and  solemnly 
plead  with  you  ;    so  that  you  should  make  your  daily  lives     12 
worthy  of  God  who  is  calling  you  into  the  glory  of  his  King- 
dom. 

,   _  This,  too,  is  a  reason  why  we,  on  our  part,  are     13 

Thoir  Peraecu-  ,.       '     ,.     '    ,          ,   .  ,,      ,    *.  .  .     .  •* 

tion  by  their  continually  thanking  God — because,  in  receiving 
Feiiow.       the  teaching  that  you  had  from  us,  you  accepted 
citizen*.     jt^  nQj.  as  tne  teacn;ng  of  man,  but  as  what  it  really 
is — the  teaching  of  God,  which  is  even  now  doing  its  work 
within  you  who  believe  in  Christ.       For  you,  Brothers,  began     14 
to  follow  the  example  of  the  Churches  of  God  in  Judaea  which 
are  in  union  with  Jesus  Christ;  you,  in  your  turn,  suffering  at 
the  hands  of  your  fellow-citizens,  in  the  same  way  as  those 
Churches  did  at  the  hands  of  the  Jews — the  men  who  killed     15 
both  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the  Prophets,  and  persecuted  us  also. 
They  do  not  try  to  please  God,  and  they  are  enemies  to  all  man- 
kind, for  they  would  prevent  us  from  sneaking  to  the  Gentiles     16 
with  a  view  to  their  Salvation,  and  thus  are  always  '  filling  up 
the  measure  of  their  iniquity.'    But  the  Wrath  of  God  has  come 
upon  them  to  the  full ! 

*Jer.  ii.  90.     I*  Gen.  15.  16. 


I.  THESSALONIANS,  2-4.  285 

As  for  ourselves,    Brothers,   our  having  been     17 
Frustrated    bereaved  of  you  even  for  a  short  time — though  in 
pians.        body  only,  and  not  in  spirit— made  us  all  the  more 
eager  to  see  your  faces  again  ;  and  the  longing  to  do  so  was 
strong  upon  us.     That  was  why  we  made  up  our  minds  to     18 
go   to  see   you — at  least  I,   Paul,  did,  more  than  once — but 
Satan  put  difficulties  in  our  way.      For  what  hope  or  joy  will     19 
be  ours,   or  what  crown  shall  we  have  to  boast  of,  in  the 
presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  at  his  Coming,  if  it  be  not  you  ? 
You  are  our  pride  and  our  delight !  20 

And  so,  as  we  could  bear  it  no   longer,    we     i 
Timothy's     made  up  our  minds  to  remain  behind  alone  at 

°"'      Athens,    and   sent   Timothy,    our    Brother    and     2 
God's  Minister  of  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ,  to  strengthen 
you,  and  to  encourage  you  in  your  faith,  so  that  none  of  you     3 
should    be   shaken    by  the   troubles   through   which  you  are 
passing.     You    yourselves    know    that    we    are    destined    to 
meet  with  such  things.     For,  even  while  we  were  with  you,     4 
we  warned  you  beforehand  that  we  were  certain  to  encounter 
trouble.     And  so  it  proved,  as  you  know.     Therefore,  since  I     5 
could   no   longer  endure    the   uncertainty,    I    sent   to    make 
inquiries   about  your  faith,    fearing   that   the   Tempter  had 
tempted  you,  and  that  our  toil  might  prove  to  have  been  in 
vain.  But,  when  Timothy  recently  returned  to  us  from     6 

you  with  good  news  of  your  faith  and  love,  and  told  us  how 
kindly  you  think  of  us — always  longing,  he  said,  to  see  us,  just 
as   we   are   longing  to   see    you — on    hearing    this,    we    felt     7 
encouraged  about  you,  Brothers,  in  the  midst  of  all  our  diffi- 
culties and  troubles,  by  your  faith.     For  it  is  new  life  to  us  to     8 
know  that  you  are  holding  fast  to  the  Lord.    How  can  we  thank     9 
God  enough  for  all  the  happiness  that  you  are  giving  us  in  the 
sight  of  our  God  ?     Night  and  day  we  pray  most  earnestly     10 
that  we  may  see  you  face  to  face,  and  make  good  any  de- 
ficiency in  your  faith. 

May  our  God  and  Father  himself,  and  Jesus,     1 1 
The  Apostle's  our  Lord,  make  the  way  plain  for  us  to  come  to 
his  "converts,  you.     And   for  you,    may   the    Lord   fill  you  to     12 

overflowing  with  love  for  one  another  and  for 
every  one,  just  as  we  are  filled  with  love  for  you  ;  and  so  make     13 
your  hearts  strong,  and  your  lives  pure  beyond  reproach,  in 
the  sight  of  our  God  and  Father,  at  the  Coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  with  all  his  Holy  Ones. 


III. — ADVICE  UPON  THE  DAILY  LIFE. 

Further,  Brothers,  we  beg  and  exhort  you  in  the  name  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  to  carry  out  more  fully  than  ever — as  indeed 
you  are  already  doing — all  that  you  have  heard  from  us  as  to 


286  I.  THESSALONIANS,  4. 

what  your  daily  life  must  be,  if  it  is  to  please  God.     For  you     2 
have  not  forgotten  the  directions  that  we  gave  you  on  the 
authority  of  our  Lord  Jesus. 

For  this  is  God's  purpose — that  you  should  be     3 
warning      pure  ;   abstaining  from  all  immorality  ;   each  of    4 
immorauty.    vou  recognizing  the  duty  of  taking  one  woman 

for  his  wife,  purely  and  honourably,  and  not  for    5 
the  mere  gratification  of  his  passions,  like  the  Gentiles  who 
know  nothing  of  God ;    none  of  you  over-reaching  or  taking     6 
advantage  of  his  Brother  in  such  matters.     '  The  Lord  takes 
vengeance'  upon  all  who  do  such  things,  as  we  have  already 
warned  you  and  solemnly  declared.     For  God's  Call  to  us  does     7 
not  permit  of  an  impure  life,  but  demands  purity.     Therefore     8 
he  who  disregards   this   warning   disregards,  not   man,  but 
God  who  gives  you  his  Holy  Spirit. 

As  to  love  for  the  Brethren  there  is  no  need  to     9 
Brotherly     write  to  you  ;  for  you  have  yourselves  been  taught 

Love'        by   God   to  love  one  another ;    and  indeed  you     10 
do  act  in   this   spirit   towards   all   the    Brethren   throughout 
Macedonia. 

Yet,    Brothers,    we   urge   you   to  still  further 
The  Duty  ot  efforts.     Make  it  your  ambition  to  live  quietly,     1 1 

>r  "         and  to  attend  to  your  own  business,  and  to  work 
with  your  hands,  as  we  directed  you  ;  so  that  your  conduct     12 
may  win  respect  from  those  outside  the  Church,  and  that  you 
may  not  want  for  anything. 


IV. — THE  DEAD  IN  CHRIST  AT  THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD. 

We  do  not  wish  you  to  remain  in  ignorance,     13 
The  Living     Brothers,  with  regard  to  those  who  have  passed 
*De»*d!*       to  their  rest,  that  your  grief  may  not  be  like  that 

of  others,  who  have  no  hope.     For,  as  we  believe     14 
that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  so  also  we  believe  that  God  will 
bring,  with  Jesus,  those  who  through  him  have  passed  to  their 
rest.  This  we  tell  you  on  the  authority  of  the  Lord —     15 

that  those  of  us  who  are  still  living  at  the  Coming  of  the  Lord  will 
not  anticipate  those  who  have  passed  to  their  rest.     For,  with  a     16 
loud  summons,  with  the  shout  of  an  archangel,  and  with  the 
trumpet-call  of  God,  the  Lord  himself  will  come  down  from 
Heaven.     Then  those  who  died  in  union  with  Christ  shall  rise     17 
first ;  and  afterwards  we  who  are  still  living  shall  be  caught 
up  in  the  clouds,  with  them,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air ;  and 
so  we  shall  be  for  ever  with  the  Lord.  Therefore,  com-     18 

fort  one  another  with  what  I  have  told  you. 

•  P«.  79.  6 ;  Jcr.  10.  a$.    •  P».  94.  i.    •  Ezek.  37.  14. 


I.  THESSALONIANS,  5.  287 


.The  Time  ot       ^u*  as  *°  *'ie  times  and  the  moments,  there     i    5 
the  Lord's     is  no  need,    Brothers,    for   any  one  to  write  to 

coming.      vou      YOU  yourselves   know  well  that  the  Day    2 
of  the  Lord  will  come  just  as  a  thief  comes  in  the  night. 
When  people  are  saying  'All  is  quiet  and  safe,'  it  is  then  that,     3 
like  birth-pains  upon  a  woman  with  child,  Ruin  comes  sud- 
denly upon  them,  and  there  will  be  no  escape  !  You,  however,     4 
Brothers,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  the  daylight  should  take 
you  by  surprise  as  if  you  were  thieves.     For  you  all  are  '  Sons     5 
of  Light  '  and  '  Sons  of  the  Day.' 

We  have  nothing  to  do  with  night,  or  dark- 
The  Necessity  ness.     Therefore  let  us  not  sleep  as  others  do.     6 
watchfulness.  No,  let  us  be  watchful  and  self-controlled.     It  is     7 

at    night    that    men    sleep,    and   at   night  that 
drunkards  get  drunk.     But  let  us,  who  belong  to  the  Day,     8 
control  ourselves,  and  put  on  faith  and  love  as  a  breastplate, 
and  the  hope  of  Salvation  as  a  helmet.    For  God  destined  us,  not    9 
for   Wrath,  but  to    win   Salvation  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  died  for  us,  that,  whether  we  are  still  watching     10 
or  have  fallen  asleep,  we  may  live  with  him.  There-     n 

fore  encourage  one  another,  and  try  to  build  up  one  another's 
characters,  as  indeed  you  are  doing. 


V.— CONCLUSION. 

Final  We  beg  you,  Brothers,  to  value  those  who  toil     12 

counsels,     among  you,  and  are  your  leaders  in  the  Lord's 
service,  and  give  you  counsel.     Hold  them  in  the  very  greatest     13 
esteem  and  affection  for  the  sake  of  their  work.     Live  at  peace 
with  one  another.  We  entreat  you  also,  Brothers —     14 

warn  the  disorderly,  comfort  the  faint-hearted,  give  a  helping 
hand  to  the  weak,  and  be  patient  with  every  one.     Take  care     15 
that    none   of  you    ever   pays   back  wrong  for  wrong,    but 
always    follow    the    kindest  course  with    one   another    and 
with    every  one.  Always   be  joyful  ;   never  cease  to     16, 

pray ;    under  all   circumstances   give   thanks   to   God.      For     18 
this  is  his   will   for  you   as   made    known    in   Christ  Jesus. 
Do  not  quench  the  Spirit ;   do  not  make  light  of  preaching. 
Bring    everything    to    the    test  ;    cling    to    what   is    good  ; 
shun  every  form  of  evil.  May  God  himself,  the  giver 

of  peace,  make  you  altogether  holy  ;   and  may  your  spirits, 
souls,    and    bodies    be    kept    altogether    faultless    until    the 
Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     He  who  calls  you  will  not    24 
fail  you  ;  he  will  complete  his  work. 

8  Isa.  59.  17.     22  Job  i.  i ;  2.  3. 


288  I.  THESSALONIANS,  5. 

Brothers,  pray  for  us.  25 

Greet  all  the  Brothers  with  a  sacred  kiss.  I    26,  27 

Farewell.     a(jjure  yOU  jn  the  Lord's  name  to  have  this  letter 
read  to  all  the  Brethren. 

May  the  blessing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you.  28 


TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 
II. 


ST.     PAUL'S     SECOND     LETTER    TO 
THE    THESSALONIANS. 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  DURING  HIS  STAY  AT 
CORINTH,  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  HIS  SECOND 
MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  ABOUT  53  A.D. 


IT  is  probable  that  about  a  year  intervened  between  the 
Apostle's  two  Letters  to  this  Macedonian  Church.  The 
Thessalonians  had  misunderstood  what  he  had  said  in  the  first 
Letter  as  to  the  nearness  of  the  time  of  Christ's  Return  to  the 
earth  ;  a  misunderstanding  which  led  to  the  neglect  of  the 
ordinary  duties  of  life,  accompanied  by  unrestrained  religious 
excitement.  To  correct  this  misapprehension,  and  to  urge 
them  to  fortitude,  calmness  and  industry,  St.  Paul  wrote  this 
second  Letter. 


TO    THE 

THESSALONIANS. 
II. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  Thessalonian  Church  in  union  with  God 
"n&    our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
FROM  Paul,  Silas,  and  Timothy. 

May  God,  the  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you  and 
give  you  peace. 


II.  —THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS. 

His  Brothers,  it  is  our  duty  always  to  thank 

Thankfulness  God  about  you,  as  is  but  right,  considering  the 

and  wonderful  growth  of  your  faith,  and  because, 
9nce-  without  exception,  your  love  for  one  another 
is  continually  increasing.  So  much  is  this  the  case  that 
we  ourselves  speak  with  pride,  before  the  Churches  of  God, 
of  the  patience  and  faith  which  you  have  shown,  in  spite  of  all 
the  persecutions  and  troubles  that  you  are  enduring.  These 
persecutions  will  vindicate  the  justice  of  God's  judgement,  and 
will  result  in  your  being  reckoned  worthy  of  God's  Kingdom, 
for  the  sake  of  which  you  are  now  afflicted ;  since  God 
deems  it  just  to  inflict  suffering  upon  those  who  are  now 
inflicting  suffering  upon  you,  and  to  give  relief  to  you  who  are 
suffering,  as  well  as  to  us,  at  the  Appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
from  Heaven  with  his  mighty  angels, '  in  flaming  fire.'  Then  he 
will  '  inflict  punishment  upon  those  who  refuse  to  know  God, 
and  upon  those  who  turn  a  deaf  ear '  to  the  Good  News  of  Jesus, 
our  Lord.  These  men  will  pay  the  penalty  of  unutterable 
Ruin — banished  '  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  from  the 
glorious  manifestation  of  his  might,  when  he  comes  to  be 
honoured  in  his  People, 'and  to  be  revered  in  all  who  have  learnt 
to  believe  in  him  (for  you  also  believed  our  testimony) — as  he 
will  be  on  '  That  Day.'  With  this  in  view,  our  constant 

8  Isa.  66.  14 — 15 ;  Jer.  10.  25  ;  Ps.  79.  6.   9—10  isa.  2.  I0>  lx>  I9>  2I ;  ps.  gcj.  7  ; 
68.  35  (Septuagint) ;  Isa.  49.  3. 


292  II.  THESSALONIANS,  1—2. 

His  Prayer  prayer  for  you  is  that  our  God  may  count  you 
•for  them,  worthy  of  the  Call  that  you  have  received,  and  by 
his  power  make  perfect  your  delight  in  all  goodness  and  the 
efforts  that  have  resulted  from  your  faith.  Then,  in  the  loving- 
kindness  of  our  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  will  the  name 
of  Jesus,  our  Lord,  be  honoured  in  you,  and  you  in  him. 


III. — EVENTS  THAT  MUST  PRECEDE  THE  LORD'S  COMING. 

The  As  to  the  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and     i 

'Man  of  sin,'  our  being  gathered  to  meet  him,  we  beg  you, 
and  the 'Great  Brothers,  not  lightly  to  let  your  minds  become     2 

asy'     unsettled,  nor  yet  to  be  disturbed  by  any  revelation, 
or  by  any  message,  or  by  any  letter,  purporting  to  come  from  us, 
to  the  effect  that  the  Day  of  the  Lord  is  come.     Do  not  let  any     3 
one  deceive  you,  whatever  he  may  do.    For  it  will  not  come  until 
after  the  Great  Apostasy,  and  the  appearing  of  that  Incarna- 
tion of  Wickedness,  that  Lost  Soul,  who  so  opposes  himself  to     4 
every  one  that  is  spoken  of  as  a  God  or  as  an  object  of  worship, 
and  so  exalts  himself  above  them,  that  he  seats  himself  in 
the  Temple  of  God,  and  displays  himself  as  God  !  Do     5 

not  you  remember  how,  when  I  was  with  you,  I  used  to  speak 
to  you  of  all  this  ?  '  And  you  know  now  what  the  restraining     6 
influence  is  which  prevents  his  appearing  before  his  appointed 
time.     Wickedness,  indeed,  is  already  at  work  in  secret ;  but    7 
only  until  he  who  at  present  restrains  it  is  removed  out  of  the 
way.     Then  will  'Wickedness  Incarnate '  appear,  but  the  Lord     8 
Jesus  will  destroy  him  with  the  breath  of  his  lips,  and  annihilate 
him  by  the  splendour  of  his  Coming.     For  at  the  Coming     9 
of  the  Lord  there  will  be  great  activity  on  the  part  of  Satan, 
in  the  form  of  all  kinds   of  deceptive  miracles,  signs,  and 
marvels,  as  well  as  of  wicked  attempts  to  delude — to  the  ruin     10 
of  those  who  are  on  the  path  to  destruction,  because  they  have 
never  received  and  loved  the  Truth  to  their  own  Salvation. 
That  is  why  God  places  them  under  the  influence  of  a  delusion,     1 1 
to  cause  them  to  believe  a  lie  ;  so  that  sentence  may  be  passed     12 
on  all  those  who  refuse  to  believe  the  Truth,  but  delight  in 
wickedness. 

The  Need         But,  Brothers,  whom  the  Lord  loves,  it  is  our     13 

*or  duty  always  to  thank  God  about  you,  for, 
•tedfMtneM.  from  the  first,  God  chose  you  for  Salvation 
through  the  purifying  influence  of  the  Spirit,  and  your 
belief  in  the  Truth.  To  this  you  were  called  by  the  Good  14 
News  which  we  brought  you,  to  attain  to  the  glory  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Stand  firm  then,  Brothers,  and  hold  15 

1?  Isa.  66.  5.      «  Dan.  n.  36—37;    Ezek.  a8.  a.      8  Isa.  n.  4;   Job  4.  9. 
is  Dcut.  33.  i  a. 


II.  THESSALONIANS,  2-3.  293 

fast  to  the  truths  that  we  taught  you,  whether  by  word  or  by 
letter.  And  may  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and     16 

God  our  Father,  who  loved  us  and,  in  his  loving-kindness, 
gave  us  unfailing   consolation  and   good   ground   for  hope, 
console  your  hearts,  and  strengthen  you  to  do  and  to  say  all     17 
that  is  right. 

IV.  —  CONCLUSION. 

Mutual  1°  conclusion,  Brothers,  pray  for  us  —  pray  that     i 

Prayer.       the  Lord's  Message  may  spread  rapidly,  and  be 
received  everywhere   with   honour,  as   it   was   among   you  ; 
and  that  we  may  be  preserved  from  wrong-headed  and  wicked     2 
men  —  for  it  is  not  every  one  who  believes  in  Christ. 

But  the  Lord  will  not  fail  you  ;  he  will  give  you  strength,     3 
and    guard  you   from   Evil.      Yes,  and   the  confidence  that    4 
our  union  with  the  Lord  enables  us  to  place  in  you  leads 
us  to  believe  that  you  are  doing,  and  will  do,  what  we  direct 
you.  May  the  Lord  bring  you  to  the  love  of  God,  and     5 

to  the  patience  of  the  Christ. 

The  Duty         We  urge  you,  Brothers,  in  the  name  of  the    6 
of  work.      Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  avoid  any  Brother  who  is 
living  an  ill-ordered  life,  which  is  not  in  agreement  with  the 
teaching  that  you  received  from  us.     For  you  know  well  that     7 
you  ought  to  follow  our  example.     When  we  were  with  you,  our 
life  was  not  ill-ordered,  nor  did  we  eat  any  one's  bread  without    8 
paying  for  it.     Night  and  day,  labouring  and  toiling,  we  used 
to  work  at  our  trades,  so  as  not  to  be  a  burden  upon  any  of 
you.     This  was  not  because  we  had  not  a  right  to  receive     9 
support,  but  our  object  was  to  give  you  a  pattern  for  you  to 
copy.     Indeed,    when   we   were   with   you,    what  we   urged     10 
upon  you  was  —  '  If  a  man  does  not  choose  to  work,  then  he 
shall  not  eat.  '     We  hear  that  there  are  among  you  people  who     1  1 
are  living  ill-ordered  lives,  and  who,  instead  of  attending  to 
their  own  business,  are  mere  busy-bodies.     All  such  people     12 
we  urge,  and  entreat,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
to  attend   quietly   to    their    business,    and    earn    their  own 
living.  You,  Brothers,  must  not  grow  weary  of  doing     13 

what  is  right.     If  any  one  disregards  what  we  have  said  in  this     14 
letter,  mark  that  man  and  avoid  his  company,  that  he  may  feel 
ashamed.     Yet  do  not  think  of  him  as  an  enemy,  but  caution     15 
him  as  you  would  a  Brother.  May  the  Lord,  from     16 

whom  all  peace  comes,  himself  give  you  his  peace  at  all  times 
and  in  ^11  ways.     May  he  be  with  you  all. 


The  Apostle's      *>  Pau^>  a^d  this  greeting  in  my  own  hand-     17 
Autograph     writing.     It  is  my  signature  to  every  letter.     This 
Farewell.     js  how  j  write.     May  the  blessing  of  our  Lord     18 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 


TO  THE  GALATIANS. 


ST.      PAUL'S      LETTER     TO      THE 
CHRISTIANS     IN     GALATIA. 


WRITTEN     PROBABLY    DURING     HIS     STAY    AT 
EPHESUS,    ABOUT   54   A.D. 


THE  Roman  province  of  'Galatia,'  in  Asia  Minor,  included, 
not  only  the  district  which  had  previously  borne  that  name, 
but  also  various  adjacent  districts  subsequently  included. 
Hence  it  is  uncertain  whether,  in  the  New  Testament,  the 
name  is  used  in  its  wider  or  in  its  narrower  sense.  Nor 
is  it  possible  to  fix  with  certainty  the  date  of  the  Apostle's 
visits  to  'Galatia,'  or  of  this  Letter  to  his  converts  there. 

The  Christian  Churches  in  '  Galatia '  appear  to  have  been 
founded  by  St.  Paul  about  the  year  51  A.  D.,  while  he  was  on  his 
second  missionary  journey  (Acts  16.  6).  Three  years  later  he 
re-visited  the  district  in  the  course  of  his  third  journey  (Acts 
1 8.  23).  He  appears  to  have  been  seriously  ill  on  the  first- 
mentioned  occasion,  but  his  impulsive  converts  gave  him  an 
eager  welcome,  and  soon  became  devotedly  attached  to  him 
(Gal.  A.  13 — 15).  After  he  had  left  them,  however,  their 
enthusiasm  for  him  and  for  his  Message  gradually  cooled,  and 
the  present  Letter  was  written  as  the  result  of  information 
which  reached  him,  that  his  converts  were  being  led  astray 
by  teachers  from  Jerusalem,  who  impugned  his  apostolic 
authority  and  personal  character,  and  insisted  that  all 
Christians  ought  to  observe  the  Jewish  Law  and  be  circum- 
cised. 

St.  Paul  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  face  to  face  with  the 
question  whether  Christianity  could  stand  alone  as  a  new  and 
universal  religion,  or  could  exist  only  as  '  a  modified  and 
extended  Judaism.'  His  reply  takes  the  form,  first,  of  a 
personal  narrative  in  which  he  establishes  the  direct  revela- 
tion to  him  of  what  he  delights  to  call  '  his  Gospel '  by  the 
Christ  himself,  and  its  independence  of  Judaism;  and,  then, 
of  a  brief  statement  of  the  teaching  (afterwards  developed  at 
length  in  his  Letter  to  the  Christians  at  Rome)  that  mere 
obedience  to  Law  can  never  ensure  a  man's  being  'pronounced 
righteous '  fryTibd  ;  for  this,  the  Apostle  argues,  can  follow 
only  upon  faith  in  the  Christ.  The  Law,  intended  only  to  be 
provisional,  has  been  superseded  by  the  Gospel. 


TO    THE 

GALATIANS. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  Churches  in  Galatia,  i 

Greeting.      pROM  Paul,  an  Apostle  whose  commission  is  not 
from  men  and  is  given,  not  by  man,  but  by  Jesus  Christ 
and  God  the  Father  who  raised  him  from  the  dead  ; 
AND  FROM  all  the  Brothers  here.  2 

May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  bless  you     3 
and  give  you  peace.     For  Christ,  to  rescue  us  from  this 
present  wicked  age,  gave  himself  for  our  sins,  in  accor-     4 
dance  with  the  will  of  our  God  and  Father,  to  whom  be     5 
ascribed  all  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

The  Apostle's       ^  am  astonished  at  your  so  soon  deserting  him,     6 
Disappoint-    who   called   you    through    the    love   of    Christ, 

ment.        for  a  different  'Good  News,'  which  is  really  no     7 
Good  News  at  all.     But  then,  I  know  that  there  are  people 
who  are  harassing  you,  and  who  want  to  pervert  the  Good 

News  of  the  Christ.     Yet  even  if  we or  if  an  angel  from     8 

Heaven  were  to  tell  you  any  other  '  Good  News '  than  that 
which  we  told  you,  may  he  be  accursed  !     We  have  said  it     9 
before,  and  I    repeat   it  now — If  any  one  tells  you  a  'Good 
News '  other  than  that  which  you  received,  may  he  be  accursed ! 

Is  this,  I  ask,  trying  to  conciliate  men,  or  God  ?      Am  I     ic 
seeking  to  please  men  ?     If  I  were  still  trying  to  please  men, 
I  should  not  be  a  servant  of  Christ. 


II. — THE  INDEPENDENCE  OF  THE  APOSTLE'S  GOSPEL. 

its  special         I  would  remind  you,  Brothers,  that  the  Good     n 
Revelation.    News  which  I  told  is  no  mere  human  invention. 
I,  at  least,  did  not  receive  it  from  man,  nor  was  I  taught  it,  but     12 
it  came  to  me  through  a  revelation  made  by  Jesus  Christ. 

L* 


298  GALATIANS,  1-2. 

His  special       You  heard,  no  doubt,  of  my  conduct  when  I     13 

can.         was  devoted  to  Judaism — how  I  persecuted  the 
Church  of  God  to  an  extent  beyond  belief,  and  made  havoc  of  it, 
and  how,  in  my  devotion  to  Judaism,  I  surpassed  many  of  my     14 
contemporaries  among  my  own  people  in  my  intense  earnest- 
ness in  upholding  the  traditions  of  my  ancestors.  But     15 
when   God,    who  had   set  me  apart  even   before    my  birth, 
and   who  called  me  by  his   love,   saw  fit  to   reveal   his   Son     16 
in  rne,  so  that  I  might  tell  the  Good  News  of  him  among 
the  Gentiles,  then  at  once,  instead  of  consulting  any  human 
being,  or  even  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  see  those  who  were     17 
Apostles  before  me,  I  went  into  Arabia,  and  came  back  again 
to  Damascus.                  Three  years  afterwards  I  went  up  to     18 
Jerusalem  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Peter,  and  I  stayed 
a  fortnight  with   him.       I    did  not,  however,  see  any  other     19 
Apostle,  except  James,  the  Master's  brother.     (As  to  what  I     20 
am  now  writing  to  you,  I  call  God  to  witness  that  I  am  speaking 
the  truth).     Afterwards  I  went  to  the  districts  of  Syria  and     21 
Cilicia.     But  I  was  still  unknown  even  by  sight  to  the  Christian     22 
Churches  in  Judaea;  all  that  they  had  heard  was — 'Themanwho     23 
once  persecuted  us  is  now  telling  the  Good  News  of  the  very 
Faith  of  which  he  once  made  havoc.'     And  they  praised  God     24 

Hj-          on  my  account.  Fourteen  years  afterwards     i     ' 

independent  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem  again  with    Barnabas, 

Action.       amj    j    took  Titus   also   with   me.       It   was   in     2 
obedience  to  a  revelation  that  I  went ;   and  I  laid  before  the 
Apostles  the  Good  News  that  I  am  proclaiming  among  the 
Gentiles.     I  did  this  privately  before  those  who  are  thought 
highly  of,  for  fear  that  I  might  possibly  be  taking,  or  might  have 
already  taken,  a  course  which  would  prove  useless.     Yet  even     3 
my  companion,  Titus,  though  a  Greek,  was  not  compelled  to 
be  circumcised.     But,  on  account  of  the  false  Brothers  who    4 
had  stolen  in,  the  men  who  had  crept  in  to  spy  upon  the  liberty 
which  we  have  through  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  in  order  to 
bring  us  back  to  slavery — why,  we  did  not  for  a  moment  yield     5 
submission    to    them,    that   the  Truth    of  the   Good   News 
might  be  yours  always  !      Of  those  who  are  thought  some-    6 
what  highly  of — what  they  once  were  makes  no  difference  to 
me  ;  God  does  not  recognise  human  distinctions — those,  I  say, 
who  are  thought  highly  of  added  nothing  to  my  Message. 
On  the  contrary,  they  saw  that  I  had  been  entrusted  with  the    7 
Good  News  for  the  Gentiles,  just  as  Peter  had  been  for  the 
Jews.     For  he  who  gave  Peter  power  for  his  mission  to  the    8 
Jews  gave  me,  also,  power  to  go  to  the  Gentiles.    Recognizing    9 
the  charge  entrusted  to  me,  James,  Peter,  and  John,  who  were 
regarded   as    pillars    of    the    Church,  openly  acknowledged 
Barnabas  and  me  as  fellow-workers,  agreeing  that  we  should 
go  to  the  Gentiles,  and  they  to  the  Jews.     Only  we  were  to     10 

1 "  Isa.  .}•).  i. 


GALATIANS,  2-3.  299 

remember  the  poor — the  very  thing  I  was  myself  anxious  to 
HI*  Rebuke   do.  But,  when  Peter  came  to  Antioch,  I     n 

to  Peter,      opposed  him  to  his  face  ;  for  he  stood  self-con- 
demned.     Before  certain  persons  came  from  James,  he  had     12 
been  in  the  habit  of  eating  with  the  Gentile  converts  ;  but, 
when  they  came,   he  began  to  withdraw  and  hold  aloof,  for 
fear  of  offending  those  who  still  held  to  circumcision.     The     13 
rest  of  the  Jewish  converts  were  guilty  of  the  same  hypocrisy, 
so  that  even  Barnabas  was  led  away  by  it.     But,  when  I  saw     14 
that  they  were  not  dealing  straightforwardly  with  the  Truth  of 
the  Good  News,  I  said  to  Peter,  before  them  all,  "  If  you,  who 
were  born  a  Jew,  adopt  Gentile  customs,  instead  of  Jewish, 
why  are  you  trying  to  compel  the  Gentile  converts  to  adopt 
Jewish  customs  ?  " 


III. — THE  LAW  AND  THE  GOSPEL. 

The  Failure        We,  though  we  are  Jews  by  birth  and  not  out-     15 
or  the  Law.    casts   of  Gentile   origin,    know  that  no   one  is     16 
pronounced  righteous  as  the  result  of  obedience  to  Law,  but 
only  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.     So  we  placed  our  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus,  in  order  that  we  might  be  pronounced  righteous, 
as  the  result  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  not  of  obedience  to  Law  ; 
for  such  obedience  '  will  not  result  in  even  one  soul's  being 
pronounced  righteous.'      If,  while  seeking  to  be  pronounced     17 
righteous  through  union  with  Christ,  we  were  ourselves  seen 
to  be  outcasts,  would   that  make  Christ  an   agent  of  sin? 
Heaven  forbid  !    For,  if  I  rebuild  the  very  things  that  I  pulled     18 
down,    I    prove   myself  to    have    done   wrong.       I,    indeed,     ig 
through  Law  became  dead  to  Law,  in  order  to  live  for  God. 
I  have  been  crucified  with  Christ.     So  it  is  no  longer  I  that     20 
live,  but  it  is  Christ  who  lives  in  me  ;  and,  as  for  my  present 
earthly  life,  I  am  living  it  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  who 
loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me.  I  do  not  reject     21 

the  love  of  God.     If  righteousness  comes  through  Law,  then 
there  was  no  need  for  Christ  to  die  ! 

The  Gaiatians      Foolish  Galatians  !    Who  has  been  fascinating     i 
misled  as  to   you — you   before  whose  very  eyes  Jesus   Christ 

the  Law.      was  depicted  upon  the  cross  ?     Here  is  the  one     2 
thing  that  I  want  to  find  out  from  you — Did  you  receive  the  Spirit 
as  the  result  of  obedience  to  Law,  or  of  your  having  listened 
with  faith  ?     Can  you  be  so  foolish  ?     After  beginning  with     3 
what  is   spiritual,  do  you  now  end  with  what   is  external? 
Did  you  go  through  so  much   to  no  purpose? — if  indeed  it    4 
really  was  to  no  purpose  !     He  who  supplies  you  abundantly     5 
with  his  Spirit  and  endows  you  with  such  powers — does  he  do 

16  Ps.  143.  a. 


800  GALATIANS,  8. 

this  as  the  result  of  obedience  to  Law?  or  as  the  result  of 
your  having  listened  with  faith  ?  It  is  just  as  it  was  with 
Abraham  — 

'  He  had  faith  in  God,  and  his  faith  was  regarded  by  God 
as  righteousness.' 


Faith  not  see'  t^6"'  ^at  those  whose  lives  are  based    7 

Law,'  the      on  faith  are  the  Sons  of  Abraham.    And  Scripture,     8 
Ground  of    foreseeing  that  God  would  pronounce  the  Gentiles 

Acceptance.    rjghteous  ag  the  result  Qf  fajth>  foretold  the  Good 

News  to  Abraham  in  the  words  — 

'  Through  thee  all  the  Gentiles  shall  be  blessed.' 

And,  therefore,  those  whose  lives  are  based  on  faith  share  the    9 
blessings  bestowed  upon  the  faith  of  Abraham. 

All  who  rely  upon  obedience  to  Law  are  under  a  curse,  for     10 
Scripture  says  — 

'  Cursed  is   every  one  who  does  not  abide  by  all  that  is 
written  in  the  Book  of  the  Law,  and  do  it.' 

Again,  it  is  evident  that  no  one  is  pronounced  righteous  before     1  1 
God  through  Law,  for  we  read  — 

'  Through  faith  the  righteous  man  shall  find  Life.' 
But  the  Law  is  not  based  on  faith  ;  no,  its  words  are  —  12 

'  Those  who  practise  these  precepts  will  find  Life  through  them.' 

Christ  ransomed  us  from  the  curse  pronounced  in  the  Law,  by     13 
taking  the  curse  on  himself  for  us,  for  Scripture  says  — 
'  Cursed  is  any  one  who  is  hanged  on  a  tree.' 

And  this  he  did  that  the  blessing  given  to  Abraham  might  be     14 
extended  to  the  Gentiles  through  their  union  with  Jesus  Christ  ; 
that  so,  through  our  faith,  we  also  might  receive  the  promised 
gift  of  the  Spirit. 

To  take  an  illustration,  Brothers,  from  daily  life  :  —  No  one     15 
sets    aside    even   an    agreement    between    two    men,    when 
once  it  has  been  confirmed,  nor  does  he  add  conditions  to  it. 
Now  it  was  to  Abraham  that  the  promises  were  made,  '  and  to     16 
his  offspring.'     It  was  not  said  '  to  his  offsprings,'  as  if  many 
persons  were  meant,  but  the  words  were  'to  thy  offspring,' 
showing  that  one  person  was  meant  —  and  that  was  Christ. 
My  point  is  this  :  —  An  agreement  already  confirmed  by  God     17 
cannot  be  cancelled  by  the   Law,  which  came  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years  later,  so  as  to  cause   the  promise  to  be  set 
aside.     If  our  heritage  is  the  result  of  Law,  then  it  has  ceased     18 
to  be   the   result  of  a  promise.      Yet  God  conferred  it  on 
Abraham  by  a  promise. 

•  Gen.  15.  6.    »  Gen.  u.  3  ;   18.  18.    »  Deut.  a*.  a6.     "  Hab.  a.  4.     "  Lev  18.  5. 
W  Deut.  ai.  aj.     "'  Gen.  ia.  7. 


GALATIANS,  3—4.  301 

The  Purpose       What,  then,  you  ask,  was  the  use  of  the  Law  ?     19 
of  the  Law.    It  was  a.  later  addition,  to  make  men  conscious  of 
their  wrong-doings,  and  intended  to  last  only  till  the  coming 
of  that  '  offspring  '  to  whom  the    promise  had    been  made  ; 
and  it  was  delivered  through  angels   by  a  mediator.     Now     20 
mediation  implies  more  than  one  person,  but  God  is  one  only. 
Does   that  set  the  Law   in   opposition   to   God's   promises  ?     21 
Heaven  forbid  !    For,  if  a  Law  had   been  given  capable  of 
bestowing  Life,  then  righteousness  would  have  actually  owed 
its  existence  to  Law.     But  the  words  of  Scripture  represent    22 
the  whole  world  as  being  in  bondage  to  sin,  so  that  the 
promised  blessing,  dependent,  as  it  is,  upon  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  may  be  given  to  those  who  have  faith  in  him. 

Before  the  coming  of  faith,  we  were  kept  under  the  guard  of    23 
the  Law,  in  bondage,  awaiting  the  Faith  that  was  destined  to  be 
revealed.   Thus  the  Law  has  proved  a  guide  to  lead  us  to  Christ,     24 
in  order  that  we  may  be  pronounced  righteous  as  the  result  of 
faith.    But  now  that  faith  has  come  we  no  longer  need  a  guide.     25 
The  Effect        ^*or  vou  are  a^  Sons  of  God,  through  your  faith     26 
of  the        in  Christ  Jesus.     For  all  of  you  who  were  baptized     27 
Qospei.       mto  union  with  Christ  clothed  yourselves   with 
Christ.     All  distinctions  between  Jew  and  Greek,  slave  and     28 
freeman,  male  and  female,  have  vanished  ;  for  in  union  with 
Christ  Jesus  you   are  all  one.      And,  since  you  belong  to    29 
Christ,  it  follows  that  you  are  Abraham's  offspring  and,  under 
the  promise,  sharers  in  the  inheritance. 

•  My  point  is  this  :  —  As  long  as  the  heir  is  under  age,  there  is     i    < 
no  difference  between  him  and  a  slave,  though  he  is  master  of 
the  whole  estate.     He  is  subject  to  the  control  of  guardians    2 
and  stewards,  during  the  period  for  which  his  father  has  power 
to  appoint  them.     And  so  is  it  with  us  ;  when  we  were  under     3 
age,  as  it  were,  we  were  slaves  to  the  puerile  teaching  of  this 
world  ;  but,  when  the  full  time  came,  God  sent  his  Son  —  born     4 
a  woman's  child,  born  subject  to  Law  —  to  ransom  those  who    5 
were  subject  to  Law,  so  that  we  might  take  our  position  as 
sons. 

And  it  is  because  you  are  sons  that  God  sent  into  our  hearts    6 
the  Spirit  of  his  Son,  with  the  cry  —  '  Abba,  our  Father.'     You,     7 
therefore,  are  no  longer  a  slave,  but  a  son  ;  and,  if  a  son,  then 
an  heir  also,  by  God's  appointment. 

Yet  formerly,  in  your  ignorance  of  God,  you    8 
crade'sViHt  became  slaves  to  '  gods  'which  were  no  gods.     But    9 

of  the       now  that  you  have  found  God  —  or,  rather,  have 

Gaiatians.    been  found  by  him  —  how  is  it  that  you  are  turn- 

ing back  to  that  poor  and  feeble  puerile  teaching,  to  which 

yet  once  again  you  are  wanting  to  become  slaves  ?     You  are     10 

scrupulous  in  keeping  Days  and  Months  and  Seasons  and 


COl__X"- 
BAMTA  BARBARA,  CALIFORNIA 


302  GALATIANS,  4. 

Years  !    You  make  me  fear  that  the  labour  which  I  have  spent     n 
on  you  may  have  been  wasted. 

TH   A  ostie       ^  entreat  you,  Brothers,  to  become  like  me,  as     12 
andPhi*8       I  became  like  you.     You  have  never  done  me  any 
Converts,     wrong.      You  remember  that  it  was  owing  to     13 
bodily  infirmity  that  on  the  first  occasion  I  told  you  the  Good 
News.    And  as  for  what  must  have  tried  you  in  my  condition,  it     14 
did  not  inspire  you  with  scorn  or  disgust,  but  you  welcomed  me 
as  if  I  had  been  an  angel  of  God— or  Christ  Jesus  himself! 
What  has  become,  then,  of  your  blessings?     For  I  can  bear     15 
witness  that,  had  it  been  possible,  you  would  have  torn  out 
your  eyes  and  given  them  to  me !    Am  I  to  think,  then,  that  I     16 
have  become  your  enemy  by  telling  you  the  truth?     Certain     17 
people  are  seeking  your  favour,  but  with  no  honourable  object. 
No,  indeed,  they  want  to  isolate  you,  so  that  you  will  have  to 
seek  their  favour.     It  is  always  honourable  to  have  your  favour     18 
sought  in  an  honourable  cause,  and  not  only  when  I  am  with 
you,  my  dear  children — you  for  whom  I  am  again  enduring  a     19 
mother's  pains,  till  a  likeness  to  Christ  shall  have  been  formed 
in  you.     But  I  could  wish  to  be  with  you  now  and  speak  in  a     20 
different  tone,  for  I  am  perplexed  about  you. 

Tell  me,  you  who  want  to  be  still  subject  to     21 
*rthie£^    Law— Why  do  not  you  listen  to  the  Law  ?     Scrip-     22 
and  the      ture  says  that  Abraham  had  two  sons,  one  the 
oospei.       child  of  the  slave-woman  and  the  other  the  child 
of  the  free  woman.     But  the  child  of  the  slave-woman  was     23 
born,  in    the  course  of  nature,  while   the   child  of  the   free 
woman  was  born  in  fulfilment  of  a  promise.     This  story  may     24 
be  taken  as  an  allegory.     The  women  stand  for  two  Covenants. 
One  Covenant,  given  from  Mount  Sinai,  produces  a  race  of 
slaves  and  is  represented  by  Hagar  (the  word  Hagar  meaning     25 
in  Arabia  Mount  Sinai)  and  it  ranks  with  the  Jerusalem  of  to- 
day, for  she  and  her  children  are  in  slavery.     But  the  Jerusalem     26 
above  is  free,  and  she  it  is  who  is  our  mother.     For  Scripture     27 
says — 

1  Rejoice,  thou  barren  one,  who  dost  never  bear, 
Break  into  shouts,  thou  who  art  never  in  labour, 
For  many  are  the  children  of  her  who  is  desolate — 
aye,  more  than  of  her  who  has  a  husband.' 

As  for  ourselves,  Brothers,  we,  like  Isaac,  are  children  born  in     28 
fulfilment  of  a  promise.     Yet  at  that  time  the  child  born  in  the     29 
course  of  nature  persecuted  the  child  born  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  it  is  the  same  now.     But  what  does  the  passage     30 
of  Scripture  say  ? 

'  Send  away  the  slave-woman  and  her  son  ;  for  the  slave's 
son  shall  not  be  co-heir  with  the  son  of  the  free  woman.'    . 
'*>  Isa.  54.  i.    30  Gen.  21.  10. 


GALATIANS,  4-5.  303 

And  so,  Brothers,  we  are  not  children  of  a  slave,  but  of  her    31 
who  is  free. 


IV. — THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  DAILY  LIFE. 

Christian         It  is  for  freedom  that  Christ  set  us  free  ;  stand     i 
Freedom,     firm  therefore,  and  do  not  again  be  held  under  the 
yoke  of  slavery. 

Understand  that  I,  Paul,  myself  tell  you  that  if  you  allow     2 
yourselves  to  be  circumcised,  Christ  will  avail  you  nothing.     I     3 
again  declare  to  every  one  who  receives  circumcision,  that  he 
binds  himself  to  obey  the  whole  Law.      You  have  severed     4 
yourselves  from  Christ — you  who  are  seeking  to  be  pronounced 
righteous  through  Law  ;  you  have  fallen  away  from  love.     For     5 
we,  by  the  help  of  the  Spirit,  are  eagerly  waiting  for  the  ful- 
filment of  our  hope — that  we  may  be  pronounced  righteous  as 
the  result  of  faith.     If  a  man  is  in  union  with  Christ  Jesus,     6 
neither  is  circumcision  nor  the  omission  of  it  anything,  but 
faith,  working  through  love,  is  everything. 

You  were  once  making  good  progress  !     Who  has  hindered     7 
you  from  obeying  the  Truth  ?     The  persuasion  brought  to  bear    8 
on  you  does  not  come  from  him  who  calls  you.     A  little  leaven     9 
leavens  all  the  dough.     I,  through  my  union  with  the  Lord,     10 
am  persuaded  that  you  will  learn  to  think  with  me.     But  the 
man  who  is  disturbing  your  minds  will  have  to  bear  his  punish- 
ment,  whoever  he  may  be.  If  I,   Brothers,  am  still     n 
proclaiming  circumcision,  whyam  I  still  persecuted  ?     It  seems 
that  the  Cross  has  ceased  to  be  an  obstacle  !  I  could     12 
even  wish  that  the  people  who  are  unsettling  you  would  go 
further  still  and  mutilate  themselves. 

The  Limit*  of       Remember,  Brothers,  to  you  the  Call  came  to     13 
Christian     give  you  freedom.     Only  do  not  make  your  free- 
Freedom,     dom  an  opportunity  for  self-indulgence,  but  serve 

one  another  in  a  loving  spirit.     Indeed,  the  whole  Law  has     14 

been  summed  up  in  this  one  precept — 

'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  thyself.* 

But,  if  you  are  continually  wounding  and  preying  upon  one     15 
another,  take  care  that  you  are  not  destroyed  by  one  another. 
The  Guidance      This  is  what  I  have  to  say  : — Let  your  steps  be     16 
of  the        guided  by  the  Spirit,  and  then  you  will  never  gratify 
spirit.       the  cravings  of  your  earthly  nature.     For  these     17 
cravings  of  our  earthly  nature  conflict  with  the  Spirit,  and  the 
Spirit  with  our  earthly  nature — they  are  two  contrary  princi- 
ples— so  that  you  cannot  do  what  you  wish.    But,  if  you  follow     18 
M  Lev.  19.  18. 


304  GALATIANS,  5-6. 

the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  you  are  not  subject  to  Law.     The    19 
sins  of  our  earthly  nature  are  unmistakeable.     They  are  sins 
like  these — unchastity,  impurity,  indecency,  idolatry,  sorcery,     20 
quarrels,    strife,   jealousy,    outbursts    of   passion,    rivalries, 
dissensions,  divisions,  feelings  of  envy,  drunkenness,  revelry,     21 
and  the  like.     And  I  warn  you,  as  I  warned  you  before,  that 
those  who  indulge  in  such  things  will  have  no  place  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God.     But  the  fruit  produced  by  the  Spirit  is  love,     22 
joy,  peace,   forbearance,  kindliness,  generosity,  trustfulness, 
gentleness,  self-control.    Against  such  things  there  is  no  law  !     23 
And   those  who  belong  to  Jesus,   the   Christ,  have  already    24 
crucified   their   earthly    nature,    with    its    passions   and  its 
cravings. 

Since  our  Life  is  due  to  the  Spirit,  let  us  rule  our  conduct  25 
also  by  the  Spirit.  Do  not  let  us  grow  vain,  and  provoke  or  26 
envy  one  another.  Brothers,  even  if  a  man  should  be  i 

caught  committing  a  sin,  you  who  are  spiritually  minded 
should,  in  a  gentle  spirit,  help  him  to  recover  himself,  taking 
care  lest  any  one  of  you  also  should  be  tempted.  Bear  2 

one  another's  burdens,  and  so  carry  out  the  Law  of  the  Christ. 
If  a  man  imagines  himself  to  be  somebody,  when  he  is  really     3 
nobody,    he  deceives   himself.     Let  every  one  test  his  own    4 
work,  and  then  his  cause  for  satisfaction  will  be  in  himself  and 
not  in  a  comparison  of  himself  with  his  neighbour  ;  for  every    5 
one   must    bear  his  own   load.      ...          He,   however,   who    6 
is  being   instructed   in   the  Message  ought  always  to  share 
his  blessings  with  the  man  who  instructs  him. 

Do  not  be  deceived.      God  cannot  be  mocked.     What  a    7 
man  sows  that  he  will  reap.     For  he  who  sows  the  field  of  his    8 
earthly  nature  will  from  that  earthly  nature  reap  corruption  ; 
while  he  who  sows  the  field  of  the  spirit  will  from  that  spirit 
reap  Immortal  Life.     Let  us  never  tire  of  doing  right,  for  at    9 
the  proper  season  we  shall  reap  our  harvest,  if  we  do  not 
grow  weary.  Therefore,   I    say,   as   the   opportunity    ID 

occurs,  let  us  treat  every  one  with  kindness,  and  especially 
members  of  the  Household  of  the  Faith. 


V.— CONCLUSION  IN  THE  APOSTLE'S  OWN  HAND-WRITING. 

See  in   what  large   letters   I   am   writing  with   my  own     n 
hand.  Those  who  wish  to  appear  to  advantage  in     12 

regard  to  outward  observances  are  the  very  people  who  are 
trying  to  compel  you  to  be  circumcised  ;  and  they  do  it  only 
to  avoid  being  persecuted  for  the  cross  of  Jesus,  the  Christ. 
Even  these  men  who  are  circumcised  do  not  themselves  keep     13 
the  Law ;  yet  they  want  you  to  be  circumcised,  so  that  they 
may  boast  of  your  observance  of  the  rite.     But,  for  my  part,     14 
may  1  never  boast  of  anything  except  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ, 


GALATIANS,  8.  305 

our  Master,  through  whom  the  world  has  been  crucified 
to  me,  and  I  to  the  world.     For  neither  is  circumcision  nor     15 
the  omission  of  it  anything  ;  but  a  new  nature  is  everything. 
May  all  who  rule  their  conduct  by  this  principle  find  peace     16 
and  mercy — they  who  are  the  Israel  of  God. 

For  the  future  let  no  one  trouble  me  ;  for  I  bear  the  marks     17 
of  Jesus  branded  on  my  body. 

May  the  blessing  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  rest  on  your    18 
souls,  Brothers.     Amen. 

16  Pa.  135.  j ;  ia&  6. 


TO  THE  CORINTHIANS. 
I. 


ST.  PAUL'S  FIRST  LETTER  TO  THE 
CORINTHIANS. 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  DURING  HIS  STAY  AT 
EPHESUS,  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  HIS  THIRD 
MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  ABOUT  54  A.D. 


CORINTH  was  the  capital  of  the  Roman  province  of  Achaia. 
It  contained  a  large,  mixed  population  of  Greeks,  Jews,  and 
Italian  freedmen.  The  community — famous  for  its  trade,  its 
festivals  and  games  of  world-wide  renown,  its  wealth  and  its 
luxury — was  highly  cultured,  but  grossly  immoral.  The 
Christian  Church  at  Corinth  was  founded  by  St.  Paul  during 
the  year  and  a  half  that  he  stayed  in  that  city  in  the  course 
of  his  second  missionary  journey  (Acts  18.  n)  ;  and  this  Letter 
to  his  Corinthian  converts  was  probably  written  at  Ephesus 
towards  the  close  of  St.  Paul's  stay  there  on  his  third 
missionary  journey  (Acts  19).  News  had  been  brought  to  the 
Apostle  of  dissensions  and  disorders  which  had  arisen  in  the 
Cnurch  at  Corinth  (i  Cor.  i.  n) ;  and  about  the  same  time  he 
received  a  letter  from  that  Church,  asking  guidance  from  him 
in  several  important  matters  (i  Cor.  7.  i).  These  were  the 
circumstances  under  which  he  wrote  the  present  Letter  of 
rebuke  and  advice. 


TO   THE 

CORINTHIANS. 
I. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  Church  of  God  in  Corinth,  to  those  who     i-: 
Greeting.       nave  been  consecrated  by  union  with  Christ  Jesus 

and  called  to  become  his  People,  and  also  to  all,  wherever 

they  may  be,  who  invoke  the  Name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ — their  Master  and  ours, 
FROM  Paul,  who  has  been  called  to  be  an  Apostle  of  Jesus 

Christ  by  the  will  of  God, 
AND  FROM  Sosthenes,  our  Brother. 
May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you  and     3 

give  you  peace. 

I  always  thank  God  about  you  for  the  blessing    4 
ThankftHnesa  bestowed  upon  you  in  Christ  Jesus.     For  through     5 

and          union  with  him  you  were  enriched  in  every  way — 
confidence.  m  yOur  power  to  preach,  and  in  your  knowledge 
of  the  Truth  ;  and  so  became  yourselves  a  confirmation  of  my     6 
testimony  to  the  Christ.      And  thus  there  is  no  gift  in  which     7 

Jou  are  deficient,  while  waiting  for  the  Appearing  of  our  Lord 
esus  Christ.      And  God   himself  will  strengthen  you  to  the     8 
end,  so  that  at  the  Day  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  you  may  be 
found  blameless.      God  will  not  fail  you,  and  it  is  he  who     9 
called  you  into  communion  with  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord. 

II. — THE  STATE  OF  THE  CHURCH  AT  CORINTH. 

But  I  appeal  to  you,  Brothers,  by  the  Name  of    10 
Prevalence  o*our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  agree  in  what  you  profess, 
*"  and  not  to  allow  divisions  to  exist  among  you, 
but  to  be  united — of  one  mind  and  of  one  opinion.     For  I  have     n 
been  informed,  my  Brothers,  by  the  members  of  Chloe's  house- 


310  I.  CORINTHIANS,  1. 

hold,    that   party  feeling   exists   among  you.     I   mean   this,     12 
that  every  one  of  you  says  either  '  I  follow  Paul,'  or  '  I  Apollos,' 
or  '  I  Kephas,'  or   '  I   Christ.'     You  have  rent  the  Christ  in     13 
pieces  !     Was  it  Paul  who  was  crucified   for  you  ?    or  were 
you  baptized  into  the  Faith  of  Paul  ?     I  am  thankful  that  I     14 
did  not  baptize  any  of  you  except  Crispus  and  Gaius,  so  that     15 
no  one  can   say   that  you  were  baptized  into  my  Faith.     I     16 
baptized   also   the  household  of  Stephanas.     I  do  not  know 
that  I  baptized  any  one  else.       My  mission  from  Christ  was     17 
not  to  baptize,   but   to  tell  the  Good  News  ;    not,  however, 
in  the  language  of  philosophy,  lest  the  cross  of  the  Christ 
should  be  robbed  of  its  meaning. 

The  Message  of  the  Cross  is  indeed  mere  folly     18 
Tth«Pcro1fc°r  to  those  who  are'  in  the  path  to  Ruin,  but  to  us 
who  are  in  the  path  of  Salvation  it  is  the  very 
power  of  God.     For  Scripture  says —  19 

'  I  will  bring  the  philosophy  of  the  philosophers  to  nought, 
And  the  shrewdness  of  the  shrewd  I  will  make  of  no  account.' 

Where  is  the  Philosopher?   where  the  Teacher  of  the  Law?     20 
where  the  Disputant  of  to-day  ?     Has  not  God  shown  the 
world's  philosophy  to  be  folly  ?     For  since  the  world,  in  God's     21 
wisdom,    did    not    by    its    philosophy    learn    to    know    God, 
God    saw   fit,  by  the    '  folly '  of   our   proclamation,  to    save 
those  who  believe  in  Christ !    While  Jews  ask  for  miraculous     22 
signs,    and    Greeks   study   philosophy,    we   are   proclaiming     23 
Christ  crucified  ! — to  the  Jews  an  obstacle,  to  the  Gentiles 
mere  folly,  but  to  those  who  have  received  the  Call,  whether     24 
Jews  or  Greeks,  Christ,  the  Power  of  God  and  the  Wisdom  of 
God  !     For  God's  '  folly '  is  wiser  than  men,  and  God's  '  weak-     25 
ness '  is  stronger  than  men. 
'weakness1        Look  at  the  facts  of  your  Call,  Brothers.     There     26 

«nd          are  not  many  among  you  who  are  wise,  as  men 
'strength.'    reckon  wisdom,   not  many  who  are  influential, 
not  many  who  are  high-born  ;  but  God  chose  what  the  world     27 
counts  foolish  to  put  its  wise  men  to  shame,  and  God  chose 
what  the  world  counts  weak  to  put  its  strong  things  to  shame, 
and  God  chose  what  the  world  counts  poor  and  insignificant —     28 
things  that  to  it  are  unreal — to  bring  its  'realities'  to  nothing, 
so  that  in  his  presence  no  human  being  should  boast.     But     29, 
you,  by  your  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  belong  to  God  ;  and 
Christ,   by  God's   will,    became   not   only  our   Wisdom,   but 
also  our  Righteousness,  Holiness,  and  Deliverance,  so  that —    31 
in  the  words  of  Scripture — 

'  Let  him  who  boasts  make  his  boast  of  the  Lord  ! ' 
»  Isa.  29.  14.    a>  Isa.  19.  ii— ia  ;  33.  18.    «  Jer.  9.  34. 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  2—3.  811 

Philosophy        For  my  own  part,  Brothers,  when  I  came  to     i    2 
and    '     you,    it   was   with   no   display  of  eloquence   or 

Revelation,    philosophy  that  I  came  to  tell  the  hidden  purpose 
of  God  ;   for  I  had  determined  that,  while  with  you,  I  would     2 
know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ — and  him  crucified  !     Indeed,     3 
when  I  came  among-  you,  I  was  weak,  and  full  of  fears,  and 
in  great  anxiety.     My  Message  and  my  Proclamation  were  not    4 
delivered  in  the  persuasive  language  of  philosophy,  but  were 
accompanied  by  the  manifestation  of  spiritual  power,  so  that     5 
your  faith  should  be  based,  not  on  the  philosophy  of  man,  but 
on  the  power  of  God. 

Yet  there  is  a  philosophy  that  we  teach  to  those  whose  faith     6 
is  matured,  but  it  is  not  the  philosophy  of  to-day,  nor  that  of 
the  leaders  of  to-day — men  whose  downfall  is  at  hand.      No,     7 
it  is  a  divine  philosophy  that  we  teach,  one  concerned  with  the 
hidden  purpose  of  God — that  long-hidden  philosophy  which 
God,  before  time  began,  destined  for  our  glory.      This  philo-    8 
sophy  is  not  known  to  any  of  the  leaders  of  to-day ;  for,  had 
they  known  it,  they  would  not  have  crucified  our  glorified 
Lord.     It  is  what  Scripture  speaks  of  as —  9 

'What  eye  never  saw,  nor  ear  ever  heard, 
What  never  entered  the  mind  of  man — 

Even  all  that  God  has  prepared  for  those  who  love  him.' 

Yet  to  us  God  revealed  it  through  his  Spirit ;    for  the  Spirit     10 
fathoms  all  things,  even  the  inmost  depths  of  God's  being. 
For  what  man  is  there  who  knows  what  a  man  is,   except     n 
the  man's  own  spirit  within  him  ?     So,  also,  no  one  compre- 
hends what  God  is,  except  the  Spirit  of  God.     And  as  for  us,     12 
it  is  not  the  Spirit  of  the  World  that  we  have  received,  but  the 
Spirit  that  comes  from  God,  that  we  may  realize  the  blessings 
given  to  us  by  him.     And  we  speak  of  these  gifts,  not  in  Ian-     13 
guage  taught  by  human  philosophy,  but  in  language  taught 
by  the  Spirit,  explaining  spiritual  things  in  spiritual  words. 
The  merely  intellectual  man  rejects  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit     14 
of  God  ;    for  to  him  it  is    mere  folly  ;    he  cannot  grasp  it, 
because  it   is    to    be    understood    only    by  spiritual  insight. 
But  the  man  with  spiritual   insight    is  able  to    understand     15 
everything,  although  he   himself  is  understood  by  no    one. 
For   '  who   has   so  comprehended  the  mind  of  the  Lord  as     16 
to  be  able  to  instruct  him  ? '     We,  however,  have  the  very 
mind  of  Christ. 

But  I,  Brothers,  could  not  speak  to  you  as  men  with  spiritual     i     3 
insight,  but  only  as  worldly-minded — mere  infants  in  the  Faith 
of  Christ.     I  fed  you  with  milk,  not  with  solid  food,  for  you     2 
were  not  then  able  to  take  it. 

9  Isa.  64.  4.      16  Isa.  40.  13. 


312  I.  CORINTHIANS,  3-4. 

No,  and  even  now  you  are  not  able  ;   you  are    3 
Politio'n'and  stiW   worldly.      While   there   exist    among    you 

work  of  the   jealousy  and  party  feeling,  is  it  not  true  that  you 

Apostles.      are   Worldly,    and   are    acting   merely   as   other 
men  do?     When  one  says  'I  follow  Paul,'  and  another  'I     4 
follow  Apollos,'  are  not  you  like  other  men  ?     What,  I  ask,  is     5 
Apollos  ?  or  what  is  Paul  ?     Servants  through  whom  you  were 
led  to  accept  the  Faith  ;  and  that  only  as  the  Lord  helped  each 
of  you.     I  planted,  and  Apollos  watered,  but  it  was  God  who     6 
caused  the  growth.     Therefore  neither  the  man  who  plants,     7 
nor  the  man  who  waters,  is  of  any  account,  but  only  God 
who  causes  the  growth.     In  this  the  man  who  plants  and  the     8 
man  who  waters  are  one  ;  yet  eacli  will  receive  his  own  reward 
in  proportion  to  his  own  labour.      For  we  are  God's  fellow     9 
workers  ;  you  are  God's  harvest  field,  God's  building. 

In  fulfilment  of  the  charge  which  God  had  entrusted  to  me,     10 
I  laid  the  foundation  like  a  skilful  master-builder  ;  but  another 
man  is  now  building  upon  it.     Let  every  one  take  care  how 
he  builds  ;  for  no  man  can  lay  any  other  foundation  than  the     1 1 
one  already  laid — Jesus  Christ.     Whatever  is  used  by  those     12 
who  build  upon  this  foundation,  whether  gold,  silver,  costly 
stones,  wood,  hay,  or  straw,  the  quality  of  each  man's  work     13 
will  become  known,  for  the  Day  will  make  it  plain  ;  because 
that  Day  is  to  be  ushered  in  with  fire,  and  the  fire  itself  will 
test  the  quality  of  every  man's  work.     If  any  man's  work,     14 
which  he  has  built  upon  that  foundation,  still  remains,  he  will 
gain  a  reward.     If  any  man's  work  is  burnt  up,  he  will  suffer     15 
loss  ;  though  he  himself  will  escape,  but  only  as  one  who  has 
passed  through  fire. 

Do  not  you  know  that  you  are  God's  Temple,  and  that  God's     16 
Spirit  has  his  home  in  you  ?     If  any  one  destroys  the  Temple     17 
of  God,  God  will  destroy  him  ;    for  the   Temple  of  God  is 
sacred,  and  so  also  are  you. 

Let  no  one  deceive  himself.    If  any  one  among  you  imagines     18 
that,  as  regards  this  world,  he  is  a  wise  man,  let  him  become 
a  '  fool,'  that  he  may  become  wise.     For  in  God's  sight  this     19 
world's  wisdom  is  folly.     Scripture  tells  of — 

'  One  who  catches  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness,' 
and  it  says  again —  20 

'The  Lord  sees  how  fruitless  are  the  deliberations  of  the  wise.' 
Therefore  let  no  one  boast  about  men  ;    for  all   things  are     21 
yours — whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Kephas,  or  the  world,  or    22 
life,  or  death,  or  the  present,   or  the  future — all  things  are 
yours  !     But  you  are  Christ's  and  Christ  is  God's.  23 

Let  men  look  upon  us  as  Christ's  servants,  and  as  stewards     i    4 
of  the   hidden   truths  of  God.     Now   what  we   look  for  in     2 

19  Job  5.  jj,  13.      *>  Ps.  94.  xi. 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  4.  313 

stewards  is  that  they  should  be  trustworthy.      But  it  weighs     3 
very  little  with  me  that  I  am  judged  by  you  or  by  any  human 
tribunal.     No,  I  do  not  even  judge  myself ;  for,  though  I  am     4 
conscious  of  nothing  against  myself,  that  does  not  prove  me 
innocent.     It  is  the  Lord  who  is  my  judge.     Therefore  do  not     5 
pass  judgement  before  the  time,  but  wait  till  the  Lord  comes. 
He  will  throw  light  upon  what  is  now  dark  and  obscure,  and 
will  reveal  the  motives  in  men's  minds  ;  and  then  every  one 
will  receive  due  praise  from  God. 

All  this,  Brothers,  I  have,  for  your  sakes,  applied  to  Apollos    6 
and  myself,  so  that,  from  our  example,  you  may  learn  to 
observe  the  precept — '  Keep  to  what  is  written,'  that  none  of 
you  may  speak  boastfully  of  one  teacher  to  the  disparagement 
of  another.     For  who  makes  any  one  of  you  superior  to  others?     7 
And  what  have  you  that  was  not  given  you  ?     But  if  you 
received  it  as  a  gift,  why  do  yon  boast  as  if  you  had  not  ?    Are     8 
you  all  so  soon  satisfied  ?     Are  you  so  soon  rich  ?     Have  you 
begun  to  reign  without  us  ?     Would  indeed  that  you  had,  so 
that  we  also  might  reign  with  you  !     For,  as  it  seems  to  me,     9 
God  has  exhibited  us,  the  Apostles,  last  of  all,  as  men  doomed 
to  death.     We  are  made  a  spectacle  to  the  universe,  both  to 
angels  and  to  men  !     We,  for  Christ's  sake,  are  'fools,'  but     10 
you,  by  your  union  with  Christ,  are  men  of  discernment.     We 
are  weak,  but  you  are  strong.       You  are  honoured,  but  we 
are  despised.     To  this  very  hour  we  go  hungry,  thirsty,  and     n 
naked  ;    we  are  beaten  ;    we  are  homeless  ;    we  work  hard,     12 
toiling  with  our  own  hands.     We  meet  abuse  with  blessings, 
we  meet  persecution  with  endurance,  we  meet  slander  with     13 
gentle  appeals.     We  have  been  treated  as  the  scum  of  the 
earth,  the  vilest  of  the  vile,  to  this  very  hour. 

It  is  with  no  wish  to  shame  you  that  I  am  writing  like  this  ;     14 
but  to  warn   you   as  my  own  dear  children.      Though  you     15 
may  have  thousands  of  instructors  in  the  Faith  of  Christ, 
yet  you  have   not   many  fathers.       It    was    I    who,  through 
union  with.  Christ  Jesus,   became  your  father  by  means  of 
the    Good    News.       Therefore    I     entreat   you — Follow    my     16 
example.  This  is  my  reason  for  sending  Timothy  to     17 

you.  He  is  my  own  dear  faithful  child  in  the  Master's  service, 
and  he  will  remind  you  of  my  methods  of  teaching  the  Faith  of 
Christ  Jesus — methods  which  I  follow  everywhere  in  every 
Church. 

Some,  I  hear,  are  puffed  up  with  pride,  thinking  that  I  am     18 
not  coming  to  you.     But  come  to  you  I  will,  and  that  soon,  if  it     19 
please  the  Lord  ;  and  then  I  shall  find  out,  not  what  words 
these  men  use  who  are  so  puffed  up,  but  what  power  they 
possess  ;  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  based,  not  on  words,  but     20 
on  power.     What  do  you  wish  ?     Am  I  to  come  to  you  with  a     21 
rod,  or  in  a  loving  and  gentle  spirit  ? 

20  Dan.  2.  44. 


314  I.  CORINTHIANS,  5-6. 

A  fl     rant         There  is  a  wide-spread  report  respecting  a  case     i 

caeo  of  of  immorality  among  you,  and  that,  too,  of  a 
immorality,  kind  that  does  not  occur  even  among  the 
Gentiles — a  man,  I  hear,  is  living  with  his  father's  wife  !  Instead  2 
of  grieving  over  it  and  taking  steps  for  the  expulsion  of  the 
man  who  has  done  this  thing,  is  it  possible  that  you  are  still 
puffed  up  ?  For  I  myself,  though  absent  in  body,  3 

have  been  present  with  you  in  spirit,  and  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  I  have  already  passed  judgement,  just  as  if  I  had 
been  present,  upon  the  man  who  has  acted  in  this  way.     I  have     4 
decided — having  been  present  in  spirit  at  your  meetings,  when 
the  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  with  us — to  deliver  such  a  man     5 
as  this  over  to  Satan,  that  what  is  sensual  in  him  may  be 
destroyed,  so  that  his  spirit  may  be  saved  at  the  Day  of  the 
Lord.  Your  boasting  is  unseemly.     Do  not  you  know     6 

that  even  a  little  leaven  leavens  all  the  dough  ?      Get  rid  en-    7 
tirely  of  the  old  leaven,  so  that  you  may  be  like  new  dough — 
free  from  leaven,  as  in  truth  you  are.     For  our  Passover  Lamb 
is  already  sacrificed — Christ  himself ;  therefore  let  us  keep  our     8 
festival,  not  with  the  leaven  of  former  days,  nor  with  the  leaven 
of  vice   and  wickedness,  but  with  the  unleavened  bread  of 
sincerity  and  truth. 

I   told  you,   in  my  letter,   not  to   associate  with  immoral    9 
people — not,  of  course,  meaning  men  of  the  world  who  are     10 
immoral,  or  who  are  covetous  and  grasping,  or  who  worship 
idols;  for  then  you  would  have  to  leave  the  world  altogether. 
But,  as  things  are,  I  say  that  you  are  not  to  associate  with  any     1 1 
one  who,  although  a  Brother  in  name,  is  immoral,  or  covetous, 
or  an  idolater,  or  abusive,  or  a  drunkard,  or  grasping — no, 
not  even  to  sit  at  table  with  such  people.     What  have  I  to  do     12 
with  judging  those  outside  the  Church  ?      Is  it  not  for  you 
to    judge    those    who    are   within    the    Church,    while    God     13 
judges  those  who  are  outside  ?     '  Put  away  the  wicked  man 
from  among  you.' 

Lawsuit*         Can  it  be  that,  when  one  of  you  has  a  dispute     i 
b«twe«n      with  another,   he  dares  to  have  his  case  tried 

Christians,    before   the   heathen,   instead   of  before  Christ's 
People  ?      Do  not  you  know  that  Christ's  People  will  try  the     2 
world  ?     And  if  the  world  is  to  be  tried  by  you,  are  you  unfit 
to  try  the  most  trivial  cases  ?     Do  not  you  know  that  we  are     3 
to  try  angels — to  say  nothing  of  the  affairs  of  this  life  ?    Why,     4 
then,  if  you  have  cases  relating  to  the  affairs  of  this  life,  do 
you    set   to   try   them   men   who   carry  no  weight  with  the 
Church  ?     To  your  shame  I  ask  it.     Can  it  be  that  there  is     5 
not  one  man  among  you  wise  enough  to  decide  between  two 
of  his  Brothers?     Must  Brother  go  to  law  with  Brother,  and     6 
that,  too,  before  unbelievers  ?     To  begin  with,  it  is  undoubtedly     7 

7  Exod.  12.  21.      13  Oeut.  22.  24. 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  e~7.  315 

a  loss  to  you  to  have  lawsuits  with  one  another.      Why  not 
rather    let    yourselves    be   wronged  ?      Why   not    rather  let 
yourselves   be   cheated  ?      Instead   of  this,    you   wrong  and     8 
cheat  others  yourselves — yes,  even  your  Brothers  !      Do  not     9 
you  know  that  wrong-doers    will    have    no    share   in   God's 
Kingdom  ?  Do   not   be   deceived.       No   one   who    is 

immoral,  or  an  idolater,  or  an  adulterer,  or  licentious,  or  a 
sodomite,  or  a  thief,  or  covetous,  or  a  drunkard,  or  abusive,  or     10 
grasping,  will  have  any  share  in  God's  Kingdom.  Such     1 1 

some  of  you  used  to  be  ;  but  you  washed  yourselves  clean  ! 
you  became  Christ's  People  !  you  were  pronounced  righteous 
through  the  Name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  the 
Spirit  of  our  God  ! 

The  Everything  is  allowable  for  me  !  Yes,  but  every-     12 

sacredness  of  thing  is  not  profitable.     Everything  is  allowable 
the  Body.      for  me  i     Yes,  but  for  my  part,  I  will  not  let  myself 
be  enslaved  by  anything.     Food  exists  for  the  stomach,  and     13 
the  stomach  for  food  ;    but  God  will  put  an  end  to  both  the 
one  and  the  other.      The  body,  however,  exists,  not  for  im- 
morality, but  for  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  for  the  body  ;  and,  as     14 
God  has  raised  the  Lord,  so  he  will  raise  up  us  also  by  the 
exercise  of  his  power.     Do  not  you  know  that  your  bodies  are     15 
Christ's  members?     Am  I,  then,  to  take  the  members  that 
belong  to  the  Christ  and  make  them  the  members  of  a  prostitute? 
Heaven  forbid  !     Or  do  not  you  know  that  a  man  who  unites     16 
himself  with  a  prostitute  is  one  with  her  in  body  (for  '  the  two,' 
it  is  said,  '  will  become  one  ') ;  while  a  man  who  is  united  with     17 
the  Lord  is  one  with  him  in  spirit?     Shun  all  immorality.     18 
Every  other  sin  that  men  commit  is  something  outside  the 
body ;    but  an   immoral    man   sins   against   his   own    body. 
Again,  do  not  you  know  that  your  body  is  a  shrine  of  the  Holy     19 
Spirit  that  is  within  you — the  Spirit  which  you  have  from 
God  ?     Moreover,  you  are  not  your  own  masters  ;  you  were     20 
bought,  and  the  price  was  paid.     Therefore,  honour  God  in 
your  bodies. 


III. — ANSWERS  TO   QUESTIONS   ASKED   BY  THE   CHURCH   AT 
CORINTH. 

With  reference  to  the  subjects  about  which  you     i 

ON    MARRIAGE.  111  it     r 

The  Apostle's   wrote  to  me  : — It  would  be  well  for  a  man  to 

views.         remain  single.     But,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of    2 
immorality,   I  advise  every  man  to  have  his  own  wife,  and 
every  woman  her  husband.     A  husband  should  give  his  wife     3 
her  due,  and  a  wife  her  husband.     It  is  not  the  wife,  but  the    4 

16  Gen.  a.  24. 


316  I.  CORINTHIANS,  7. 

husband,  who  exercises  power  over  her  body ;  and  so,  too,  it 
is  not  the  husband,  but  the  wife,  who  exercises  power  over  his 
body.     Do  not  deprive  each  other  of  what  is  due — unless  it  is     5 
only  for  a  time  and  by  mutual  consent,  so  that  your  minds  may 
be  free  for  prayer  till  you  again  live  as  man  and  wife — 
lest  Satan  should  take  advantage  of  your  want  of  self-control 
and  tempt  you.     I  say  this,  however,  as  a  concession,  not    6 
as  a  command.     I  should  wish  every  one  to  be  just  what  I  am    7 
myself.     But  every  one  has  his  own  gift  from  God — one  in 
one  way,  and  one  in  another. 

My  advice,  then,  to  those  who  are  not   married,  and  to    8 
widows,  is  this  : — It  would  be  well  for  them  to  remain  as  I 
am  myself.     But,  if  they  cannot  control  themselves,  let  them     9 
marry,   for  it  is  better  to  marry  than  to  be  consumed  with 
passion.  To  those  who  are  married  my  direction  is —     ic 

yet  it  is  not  mine,  but  the  Master's — that  a  woman  is  not  to 
leave  her  husband  (if  she  has  done  so,  let  her  remain  as  she  is,     1 1 
or  else  be  reconciled  to  her  husband)  and  also  that  a  man  is  not 

Marriages    to  divorce  his  wife.  To  all  others  I  say — I,     ii 

with         not  the  Master  : — If  a  Brother  is  married  to  a 
unbelievers.  WOman,  who  is  an  unbeliever  but  willing  to  live 
with  him,  he  should  not  divorce  her;   and  a  woman  who  is     i^ 
married  to  a  man,  who  is  an  unbeliever  but  willing  to  live  with 
her,  should  not  divorce  her  husband.    For,  through  his  wife,  the     i^ 
husband  who  is  an  unbeliever  has  become  associated  with 
Christ's   People ;   and   the   wife   who  is    an    unbeliever  has 
become  assooiated  with  Christ's  People  through  our  Brother 
whom  she  has  married.     Otherwise  your  children  would  be 
'defiled,'  but,  as  it  is,  they  belong  to  Christ's  People.     How-     i< 
ever,  if  the  unbeliever  wishes  to  be  separated,  let  him  be  so. 
Under  such  circumstances  neither  the  Brother  nor  the  Sister 
is  bound  ;  God  has  called  you  to  live  in  peace.     How  can  you     i( 
tell,   wife,    whether  you  may  not  save  your  husband  ?   and 
how  can  you  tell,  husband,  whether  you  may  not   save  yo'ur 
wife? 

In  any  case,  a  man  should  continue  to  live  in  the     i; 
independent  condition  which  the  Lord  has  allotted  to  him,  and 
or  conditions  in  which  he  was  when  God  called  him.     This 

°ruf*-       is  the  rule  that  I  lay  down  in  every  Church.     Was     it 
a  man  already  circumcised  when  he  was  called  ?    Then  he 
should  not  efface  his  circumcision.     Has  a  man  been  called 
when  uncircumcised  ?     Then  he  should  not  be  circumcised. 
Circumcision  is  nothing ;  the  want  of  it  is  nothing  ;  but  to     ic 
keep  the  commands  of  God  is  everything.      Let  every  one    2C 
remain  in  that  condition  of  life  in  which  he  was  when  the 
Call  came  to  him.     Were  you  a  slave  when  you  were  called  ?     21 
Do  not  let  that  trouble  you.     No,  even  if  you  are  able  to  gain 
your  freedom,  still  do  your  best.     For  the  man  who  was  a    22 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  7.  817 

slave  when  he  was  called  to  the  Master's  service  is. the  Master's 
freed-man  ;    so,  too,  the  man  who  was  free  when  called  is 
Chris  t's  slave.    You  were  bought,  and  the  price  was  paid.     Do     23 
not  let  yourselves  become  slaves  to  men.     Brothers,  let  every     24 
one  remain  in  the  condition  in  which  he  was  when  he  was 
called,  in  close  communion  with  God. 

Difficulties       With  regard  to  unmarried  women,  I  have  no    25 
^"wJth***'    command  from  the  Master  to  give  you,  but  I  tell 
Marriage,    you  my  opinion,  and  it  is  that  of  a  man  whom  the 
Master  in  his  mercy  has  made  worthy  to  be  trusted. 

I  think,  then,  that,  in  view  of  the  time  of  suffering  that  has     26 
now  come  upon  us,  what  I  have  already  said  is  best — that  a 
man  should  remain  as  he  is.      Are  you  married  to  a  wife?     27 
Then  do  not  seek  to  be  separated.     Are  you  separated  from  a 
wife  ?    Then  do  not  seek  for  a  wife.    Still,  if  you  should  marry,     28 
that  is  not  wrong  ;    nor,  if  a  young  woman  marries,  is  that 
wrong.     But  those  who  marry  will  have  much  trouble  to  bear, 
and  my  wish  is  to  spare  you.  What  I  mean,  Brothers,     29 

is  this  : — The  time  is  short.     Meanwhile,  let  those  who  have 
wives  live  as  if  they  had  none,  those  who  are  weeping  as  if  not    30 
weeping,  those  who  are  rejoicing  as  if  not  rejoicing,  those  who 
buy  as  if  not  possessing,  and  those  who  use  the  good  things  of    31 
the  world  as  using  them  sparingly  ;  for  this  world  as  we  see  it 
is  passing  away.     I  want  you  to  be  free  from  anxiety.     The    32 
unmarried  man  is  anxious  about  the  Master's  Cause,  desiring 
to  please  him  ;  while  the  married  man  is  anxious  about  worldly.    33 
matters,  desiring  to  please  his  wife ;  and  so  his  interests  are 
divided.     Again,  the  unmarried  woman,  whether  she  is  old  or    34 
young,  is  anxious  about  the  Master's  Cause,  striving  to  be  pure 
both  in  body  and  in  spirit,  while  the  married  woman  is  anxious 
about  worldly  matters,  desiring  to  please  her  husband.     I  say    35 
this  for  your  own  benefit,  not  with  any  intention  of  putting  a 
halter  round  your  necks,  but  in  order  to  secure  for  the  Master 
seemly  and  constant  devotion,  free  from  all  distraction. 

If,  however,  a  father  thinks  that  he  is  not  acting  fairly     36 
by  his  unmarried  daughter,  when  she  is  past  her  youth,  and 
if  under  these  circumstances   her  marriage  ought  to   take 
place,  let  him  act  as  he  thinks  right.     He  is  doing  nothing 
wrong — let  the  marriage  take  place.     On  the  other  hand,  a     37 
father,  who  has  definitely  made  up  his  mind,  and  is  under  no 
compulsion,  but  is  free  to  carry  out  his  own  wishes,  and  who 
has  come  to  the  decision,  in  his  own  mind,  to  keep  his  un- 
married daughter  at  home,  will  be  doing  right.     In  short,  the     38 
one  who  consents  to  his  daughter's  marriage  is  doing  right, 
and  yet  the  other  will  be  doing  better. 

A  wife  is  bound  to  her  husband  as  long  as  he  lives  ;  but,  if    39 
the  husband  should  pass   to   his   rest,  the  widow  is  free  to 
marry  any  one  she  wishes,  provided  he  is  a  believer.     Yet    40 


318  I.  CORINTHIANS,  7—9. 

she  will  be  happier  if  she  remains  as  she  is — in  my  opinion, 
for  I  think  that  I  also  have  the  Spirit  of  God. 


ON  With  reference  to  food  that  has  been  offered  in     i 

HEATHEN     sacrifice  to  idols — We  are  aware  that  all  of  us 
^ou'^sti"*    have   knowledge !      Knowledge   breeds  conceit, 

"of  "  *    while  love  builds  up  character.     If  a  man  thinks     2 
conscience,  that  he  knows  anything,  he  has  not  yet  reached 
that  knowledge  which  he  ought  to  have  reached.     On  the  other     3 
hand,  if  a  man  loves  God,  he  is  known  by  God.  With     4 

reference,  then,  to  eating  food  that  has  been  offered  to  idols — 
we  are  aware  that  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world,  and  that 
there  is  no  God  but  one.     Even  supposing  that  there  are  so-     5 
called  '  gods '  either  in  Heaven  or  on  earth — and  there  are  many 
such  '  gods  '  and  '  lords ' — yet  for  us  there  is  only  one  God,  the     6 
Father,  from  whom  all  things  come  (and  for  him  we  live), 
and  one  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  through  whom  all  things  come 
(and  through  him  we  live).  Still,  it  is  not  every  one     7 

that  has   this   knowledge.     Some*  people,    because    of  their 
association  with  idols,  continued  down  to  the  present  time,  eat 
the  food  as  food  offered  to  an  idol ;   and  their  consciences, 
while  still  weak,  are  dulled.     What  we  eat,  however,  will  not    8 
bring  us  nearer  to  God.     We  lose  nothing  by  not  eating  this 
food,   and  we  gain   nothing  by  eating  it.       But  take    care     9 
that  this  right  of  yours  does    not   become    in   any    way    a 
stumbling-block  to  the  weak.     For  if  some  one  should  see  you     10 
who  possess  this  knowledge,  feasting  in  an  idol's  temple,  will 
not  his  conscience,  if  he  is  a  weak  man,  become  so  hardened 
that  he,  too,  will  eat  food  offered  to  idols  ?    And  so,  through  this     1 1 
knowledge  of  yours,  the  weak  man  is  ruined — your  Brother  for 
whose  sake  Christ  died  !     In  this  way,  by  sinning  against  your     12 
Brothers  and  injuring  their  consciences,    while   still   weak, 
you  sin  against  Christ.     Therefore,  if  what  I  eat  makes  my     13 
Brother  fall,  rather  than  make  my  Brother  fall,  I  will  never  eat 
meat  again. 

The  Apo«tie'«  Am  I  not  free  ?  Am  I  not  an  Apostle  ?  Have 
Example.  I  not  seen  our  Lord  Jesus  ?  Are  not  you  your- 
selves my  work  achieved  in  union  with  the  Lord  ?  Ill  am  not 
an  Apostle  to  others,  yet  at  least  I  am  to  you  ;  for  you  are  the 
seal  that  stamps  me  as  an  Apostle  in  union  with  the'  Lord. 

The  defence  that  I  make  to  my  critics  is  this  : — Have  not  we    3, 
a  right  to  food  and  drink  ?     Have  not  we  a  right  to  take  a  wife     5 
with  us,  if  she  is  a  Christian,  as  the  other  Apostles  and  the 
Master's  brothers  and  Kephas  all  do  ?     Or  is  it  only  Barnabas     6 
and  I  who  have  no  right  to  give  up  working  for  our  bread  ? 
Does  any  one  ever  serve  as  a  soldier  at  his  own  expense  ?     Does    7 
any  one  plant  a  vineyard  and  not  eat  its  produce  ?     Or  does 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  9.  319 

any  one  look  after  a  herd  and  not  drink  the  milk  ?  Am    8 

I,  in  all  this,  speaking  only  from  the  human  standpoint  ?     Does 
not  the  Law  also  say  the  same  ?     For  in  the  Law  of  Moses  it  is    9 
said — 

'  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  a  bullock  while  it  is  treading  out 
the  grain.' 

Is  it  the  bullocks  that  God  is  thinking  of?  or  is  not  it  said     10 
entirely  for  our  sakes  ?     Surely  it  was  written  for  our  sakes, 
for  the  ploughman  ought  not  to  plough,  nor  the  thrasher  to 
thrash,  without  expecting  a  share  of  the  grain.  Since     n 

we,  then,  sowed  spiritual  seed  for  you,  is  it  too  much  that  we 
should  reap  from  you  an  earthly  harvest?     If  others  share- in     12 
this  right  over  you,  do  not  we  even  more  ?  Still  we  did  not  avail 
ourselves  of  this  right.     No,  we  endure  anything  rather  than 
impede  the  progress  of  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ.     Do  not     13 
you  know  that  those  who  do  the  work  of  the  Temple  live  on 
what  comes  from  the  Temple,  and  that  those  who  serve  at  the 
altar  share  the  offerings  with  the  altar  ?     So,  too,  the  Master     14 
has  appointed  that  those  who  tell  the  Good  News  should  get 
their  living  from  the  Good  News.     I,  however,  have  not  availed     15 
myself  of  any  of  these  rights.  I  am  not  saying  this  to 

secure  such  an  arrangement  for  myself;    indeed,  I  would  far 

rather  die Nobody  shall  make  my  boast  a  vain  one  !  If  I  tell     16 

the  Good  News,  I  have  nothing  to  boast  of,  for  I  can   but 
do  so.     Woe  is  me  if  I  do  not  tell  it !      If  I  do   this   work     17 
willingly,  I  have  a  reward  ;  but,  if  unwillingly,  I  have  been 
charged  to  perform  a  duty.     What  is  my  reward,  then  ?     To     18 
present  the  Good  News  free  of  all  cost,  and  so  make  but  a 
sparing  use  of  the  rights  which  it  gives  me. 

Although  I  was  entirely  free,  yet,  to  win  as  many  converts  as     19 
possible,  I  made  myself  every  one's  slave.  To  the  Jews  I  became     20 
like  a  Jew,  to  win  Jews.    To  those  who  are  subject  to  Law  I  be- 
came like  a  man  subject  to  Law — though  I  was  not  myself  sub- 
ject to  Law — to  win  those  who  are  subject  to  Law.     To  those     21 
who  have  no  Law  I  became  like  a  man  who  has  no  Law — not  that 
I  am  free  from  God's  Law  ;  no,  for  I  am  under  Christ's  Law — 
to  win  those  who  have  no  Law.     To  the  weak  I  became  weak,     22 
to  win  the  weak.    I  have  become  all  things  to  all  men,  so  as 
at  all  costs  to  save  some.     And  I  do  everything  for  the  sake     23 
of  the  Good  News,  that  with  them  I  may  share  in  its  blessings. 

Do  not  you  know  that  on  a  race-course,  though  all  run,     24 
yet  only  one  wins  the  prize  ?     Run  in  such  a  way  that  you 
may  win.     Every  athlete   exercises    self-restraint    in    every-     25 
thing  ;  they,  indeed,  for  a  crown  that  fades,  we  for  one  that 
is  unfading.    I,  therefore,  run  with  no  uncertain  aim.    I  box —     26 
not  like  a  man  hitting  the  air.     No,  I  bruise  my  body  and     27 

•  Deut.  25.  4. 


320  I.  CORINTHIANS,  9— 1O. 

make  it  my  slave,  lest  I,  who  have  called  others  to  the  contest, 
should  myself  be  rejected. 

A  warn  in          ^  want  you  to  bear  in  mind,  Brothers,  that  all     i 
from         our  ancestors  were  beneath  the  cloud,  and  all 
History,      passed  through  the  sea  ;  that  in  the  cloud  and  in     2 
the  sea  they  all  underwent  baptism  as  followers  of  Moses  ;  and     3 
that  they  all  ate  the  same  supernatural  food,  and  all  drank  the    4 
same  supernatural  water,  for  they  used  to  drink  from  a  super- 
natural rock  which  followed  them,  and  that  rock  was  the  Christ. 
Yet  with  most  of  them  God  was  displeased  ;  for  they  were     5 
'  struck  down  in  the  desert.' 

Now  these  things  happened  as  warnings  to  us,  to  teach  us  6 
not  to  long  for  evil  things  as  our  forefathers  longed.  Do  not  7 
become  idolaters,  as  some  of  them  became.  Scripture  says — 

4  The  people  sat  down  to  eat  and  drink,  and  stood  up  to  dance.' 

Nor  let  us  act  immorally,  as  some  of  them  acted,  with  the  result    8 
that  twenty-three  thousand  of  them  fell  dead  in  a  single  day. 
Nor  let  us  try  the  patience  of  the  Lord  too  far,  as  some  of  them     9 
tried  it,  with  the  result  that  they  '  were,  one  after  another,  des- 
troyed by  the  snakes.'     And  do  not  murmur,  as  some  of  them     10 
murmured,  and  so  'were  destroyed  by  the  Angel  of  Death.' 
These  things  happened  to  .them  by  way  of  warning,  and  were     1 1 
recorded  to  serve  as  a  caution  to  us,  in  whose  days  the  close  of 
the  ages  has  come. 

Therefore  let  the  man  who  thinks  that  he  stands  take  care     12 
that  he  does  not  fall.    No  temptation  has  come  upon  you  that  is     13 
not  common  to  all  mankind.     God  will  not  fail  you,  and  he  will 
not  allow  you  to  be  tempted  beyond  your  strength  ;  but,  when 
he  sends  the  temptation,   he  will  also   provide    the   way  of 
escape,  so  that  you  may  have  strength  to  endure. 

Tho  Apostio's  Therefore,  my  dear  friends,  shun  the  worship  14 
conclusions,  of  idols.  I  speak  to  you  as  men  of  discernment ;  15 
form  your  own  judgement  about  what  I  am  saying.  In  16 

the  Cup  of  Blessing  which  we  bless,  is  not  there  a  sharing 
in  the  blood  of  the  Christ  ?    And  in  the  Bread  which  we  break, 
is  not  there  a  sharing  in  the  Body  of  the  Christ  ?     The  Bread  is     17 
one,  and  we,  though  many,  are  one  body  ;  for  we  all  partake 
of  that  one  Bread.    Look  at  the  people  of  Israel.    Do  not  those     18 
who  eat  the  sacrifices  share  with  the  altar  ?     What  do  I  mean  ?     19 
you  ask.     That  an  offering  made  to  an  idol,  or  the  idol  itself, 
is  anything  ?     No  ;  what  1  say  is  that  the  sacrifices  offered  by     20 
the  Gentiles  '  are  offered  to  demons  and  to  a  Being  who  is  no 
God,'  and  I  do  not  want  you  to  share  with  demons.     You     21 
cannot  drink  both  the  Cup  of  the  Lord  and  the  cup  of  demons. 

&Nura.  14.  16.     «  Num.  11.34.     7  Exod.  33.  6.     »  Num.  ai.  6.      M  a  Sam.  24.  16. 
»  Dcut.  yt.  17.    21  Mai.  i.  7. 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  1O— 11.  321 

You  cannot  partake  at  the  Table  of  the  Lord  and  at  the  table 

of  demons.     Or  '  are  we  to  rouse  the  jealousy  of  the  Lord  '  ?     22 

Are  we  stronger  than  he  ? 

Everything  is  allowable  !     Yes,  but  everything  is  not  profit-     23 
able.     Everything  is  allowable  !     Yes,  but  everything  does  not 
build  up  character.     A  man  must  not  study  his  own  interests,     24 
but  the  interests  of  others. 

Eat  anything  that  is  sold  in  the  market,  without  making     25 
inquiries   to   satisfy    your    scruples ;     for    '  the    earth,    with     26 
all  that  is  in  it,  belongs  to  the  Lord.'     If  an  unbeliever  invites     27 
you  to  his  house  and  you  consent  to  go,  eat  anything  that  is 
put  before   you,   without   making  inquiries   to   satisfy  your 
scruples.     But,  if  any  one  should  say  to  you  '  This  has  been     28 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  an  idol,'  then,  for  the  sake  of  the  speaker 
and  his  scruples,  do  not  eat  it.     I  do  not  say  '  your '  scruples,     29 
but  'his.'     For  why  should  the  freedom  that  I  claim  be  con- 
demned by  the  scruples  of  another  ?     If,  for  my  part,  I  take     30 
the  food  thankfully,  why  should  I  be  abused  for  eating  that  for 
which  I  give  thanks  ? 

Whether,  then,  you  eat  or  drink  or  whatever  you  do,  do     31 
everything  to  the  honour  of  God.     Do  not  cause  offence  either    32 
to  Jews   or  Greeks  or  to   the   Church    of  God  ;    for  I,  also,     33 
try  to  please  everybody  in  everything,  not  seeking  my  own 
advantage,  but  that  of  men  in  general,  that  they  may  be 
saved.     Imitate  me,  as  I  myself  imitate  Christ.  I 

ON  PUBLIC        ^  praise  you,  indeed,  because  you  never  forget     2 
WORSHIP,    me,  and   are  keeping  my  injunctions  in  mind, 
A»  to  covering exactly  as  \  laid  them  upon  you.  But  I     3 

Head.     am  anxjous  ^at  you  should  understand  that  the 
Christ  is  the  Head  of  every  man,  that  man  is  the  Head  of 
woman,  and  that  God  is  the  Head  of  the  Christ.     Any  man     4 
who  keeps  his  head  covered,  when  praying  or  preaching  in 
public,  dishonours  him  who  is  his  Head  ;  while  any  woman,     5 
who   prays   or   preaches   in   public  bare-headed,    dishonours 
him  who  is  her  Head  ;  for  that  is  to  make  herself  like  one  of 
the  shameless  women  who  shave  their  heads.     Indeed,  if  a     6 
woman  does  not  keep  her  head  covered,  she  may  as  well  cut 
her  hair  short.     But,  since  to  cut  her  hair  short,  or  shave 
it  off,  marks   her  as   one  of  the   shameless  women,  let  her 
keep  her  head  covered.     A  man  ought  not  to  have  his  head     7 
covered,  for  he  has  been  from  the  beginning  '  the  likeness  of 
God '  and  the  reflection  of  his  glory,  but  woman  is  the  reflection 
of  man's  glory.     For  it  was  not  man  who  was  taken  from     8 
woman,  but  woman  who  was  taken  from  man.     Besides,  man     9 
was  not  created  for  the  sake  of  woman,  but  woman  for  the  sake 
of  man.     And,  therefore,  a  woman  ought  to  wear  on  her  head     10 
a  symbol  of  her  subjection,  because  of  the  presence  of  the 

33  Deut.  32.  ai.    26  Ps.  24.  i.    7  Gen.  5.  i. 

M 


322  I.  CORINTHIANS,  11. 

angels.     Still,  when  in  union  with  the  Lord,  woman  is  not     n 
independent  of  man,  or  man  of  woman  ;  for  just  as  woman     12 
came  from  man,  so  man  comes  by  means  of  woman  ;  and  all 
things  come  from  God.     Judge  for  yourselves.     Is  it  fitting     13 
that  a  woman  should  pray  to  God  in  public  with  her  head 
uncovered  ?     Does  not  nature  herself  teach  us  that,  while  for     14 
a  man  to  wear  his  hair  long  is  degrading  to  him,  a  woman's     15 
long  hair  is  her  glory  ?     Her  hair  has  been  given  her  to  serve 
as  a  covering.  If,  however,  anyone  still  thinks  it  right     16 

to  contest  the  point — well,  we  have  no  such  custom,  nor  have 
the  Churches  of  God. 

AS  to  the          ^n   S'lv'inS  directions   on   the   next  subject,    I     17 
'  Lord's       cannot  praise   you  ;  because   your  meetings   do 
supper.'      more  harm  than  good.     To  begin  with,  I  hear     18 
that,  when  you    meet   as   a  Church,  divisions  exist  among 
you,  and,  to  some  extent,  I  believe  it.      Indeed,  there  must     19 
be  actual  parties  among  you,  for  so  only  will  the  men  of  real 
worth  become  known.  When  you  meet  together,  as  I     20 

understand,  it  is  not  possible  to  eat  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  for,  as     21 
you  eat,  each  of  you  tries  to  secure  his  own  supper  first,  with 
the  result  that  one  has  too  little  to  eat,  and  another  has  too 
much  to  drink  !      Have  you    no    houses  in    which   you  can     22 
eat  and  drink  ?     Or  are  you  trying  to  show  your  contempt  for 
the  Church  of  God,  and  to  humiliate  the  poor?     What  can  I 
say  to  you  ?     Shall  I  praise  you  ?     In  this  matter  I  cannot 
praise  you.     For  I  myself  received  from  the  Lord  the  account     23 
which   I  have  in  turn  given  to  you — how  the    Lord  Jesus, 
on  the  very  night  of  his  betrayal,  took  some  bread,  and,  after     24 
saying  the  thanksgiving,  broke  it  and  said  "  This  is  my  own 
body  given  on  your  behalf.     Do  this  in  memory  of  me."     And     25 
in  the  same  way  with  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying  "  This  cup 
is  the  new  Covenant  made  by  my  blood.     Do  this,  whenever 
you  drink  it,  in  memory  of  me."     For  whenever  you  eat  this     26 
bread  and  drink  the  cup,  you  proclaim  the  Lord's  death — till 
he  comes.     Therefore,  whoever  eats  the  bread,  or  drinks  the     27 
Lord's  cup,  in  an  irreverent  spirit,  will  have  to  answer  for  an 
offence  against  the  Lord's  body  and  blood.     Let  each  man     28 
look   into   his   own   heart,  and   only  then  eat  of  the   bread 
and  drink  from  the  cup.      For  the  man  who  eats  and  drinks     29 
brings  a  judgement  upon  himself  by  his  eating  and  drinking, 
when  he  does  not  discern  the  body.     That  is  why  so  many     30 
among  you  are  weak  and  ill,  and  why  some  are  sleeping. 
But,  if  we  judged  ourselves  rightly,  we  should  not  be  judged.     31 
Yet,    in   being   judged    by   the    Lord,   we    are    undergoing    32 
discipline,    so    that    we    may    not    have    judgement    passed 
upon  us  with  the  rest  of  the  world.     Therefore,  my  Brothers,     33 
when  you  meet  together  to  eat  the   Supper,  wait  for  one 

'-»  Exod.  34.  »• 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  11-12.  823 

another.     If  a  man  is  hungry,  let  him  eat  at  home,  so  that  your    34 
meetings  may  not  bring  a  judgement  upon  you.  The 

other  details  I  will  settle  when  I  come. 

ON  SPIRITUAL     ^n  t*ie  next  P"ace>  Brothers,  I  do  not  want  you     i   j 

GIFTS.        to  be  ignorant  about  spiritual  gifts.  You     2 

Their  variety  know  that   there   was  a  time  when   you   were 

and  unity.     Qentiles,  going  astray  after  idols  that  could  not 
speak,  just  as  you  happened  to  be  led.     Therefore  I  tell  you     3 
plainly  that  no  one  who  speaks  under  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  says  '  JESUS  is  ACCURSED,'  and  that  no  one  can  say 
'JESUS  is  LORD,'  except  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Gifts  differ,  but  the  Spirit  is  the  same  ;   ways  of  serving    4,  ( 
differ,  yet  the  Master  is  the  same  ;  results  differ,  yet  the  God     6 
who  brings  about  every  result  is  in  every  case  the  same.     To     7 
each  man  there  is  given  spiritual  illumination  for  the  general 
good.     To  one  is  given  the  power  to   speak  with  wisdom     8 
through  the  Spirit ;  to  another  the  power  to  speak  with  know- 
ledge, due  to  the  same  Spirit ;  to  another  faith  by  the  same    9 
Spirit ;  to  another  power  to  cure  diseases  by  the  one  Spirit ; 
to    another    supernatural    powers ;     to    another  the   gift  of    10 
preaching  ;  to  another  the  gift  of  distinguishing  between  true 
and   false   inspiration  ;    to   another  varieties   of   the   gift  of 
'  tongues  ' ;  to  another  the  power  to  interpret  '  tongues.'     All     n 
these  result  from  one  and  the  same  Spirit,  who  distributes  his 
gifts  to  each  individually  as  he  wills. 

For  just  as  the  human  body  is  one  whole,  and  yet  has  many     12 
parts,  and  all  its  parts,  many  though  they  are,  form  but  one 
body,  so  it  is  with  the  Christ ;  for  it  was  by  one  Spirit  that  we     13 
were  all  baptized  to  form  one  Body,  whether  Jews  or  Greeks, 
slaves  or  free  men,  and  were  all  imbued  with  one  Spirit.     The     14 
human  body,  I  repeat,  consists  not  of  one  part,  but  of  many. 
If  the  foot  says  '  Since  I  am  not  a  hand,  I  do  not  belong  to  the     15 
body,'  it  does  not  on  that  account  cease  to  belong  to  the  body. 
Or  if  the  ear  says  '  Since  I  am  not  an  eye,  I  do  not  belong  to     16 
the  body,'  it  does  not  on  that  account  cease  to  belong  to  the 
body.     If  all  the  body  were  an  eye,  where  would  the  hearing     17 
be  ?     If  it  were  all  hearing,  where  would  the  sense  of  smell  be  ? 
But  in  fact  God  has  placed  each  individual  part  just  where     18 
he  thought  fit  in  the  body.     If,  however,  they  all  made  up     19 
only  one  part,  where  would  the  body  be  ?     But  in  fact,  although     20 
it  has  many  parts,  there  is  only  one  body.     The  eye  cannot  say     21 
to  the  hand  '  I  do  not  need  you,'  nor,  again,  the  head  to  the 
feet  '  I  do  not  need  you.'     No  !     Those  parts  of  the  body  that     22 
seem  naturally  the  weaker  are  indispensable  ;  and  those  parts     23 
which  we  deem  less  honourable  we  surround  with  special 
honour ;   and  our  ungraceful  parts  receive  a  special   grace 
which  our  graceful  parts  do  not  require.      Yes,  God  has  so     24 
constructed  the  body — by  giving  a  special  honour  to  the  part 


324  I.  CORINTHIANS,  12-14. 

that  lacks  it — as  to  secure  that  there  should  be  no  disunion  in    25 
the  body,  but  that  the  parts  should  show  the  same  care  for  one 
another.     If  one  part  suffers,  all  the  others  suffer  with  it,  and     26 
if  one  part  has  honour  done  it,  all  the  others  share  its  joy. 
Together  you  are  the   Body  of  Christ,  and  individually  its     27 
parts.  In    the     Church    God     has    appointed,    first,     28 

Apostles,  secondly  Preachers,  thirdly  Teachers  ;    then  he  has 
given    supernatural    powers,    then    power  to   cure   diseases, 
aptness  for  helping  others,  capacity  to  govern,  varieties  of  the 
gift  of  '  tongues.'     Can  every  one  be  an  Apostle  ?    can  every    29 
one  be  a  Preacher  ?    can  every  one  be  a  Teacher  ?    can  every 
one  have  supernatural  powers  ?  can  every  one  have  power  to     30 
cure  diseases  ?     can    every    one   speak    in   '  tongues '  ?    can 
every  one  interpret  them  ?     Strive  for  the  greater  gifts.  31 

Love  the          Yet  ^   can  st^   show  you  a  way  beyond  all 
greatest  of   comparison  the  best.  Though  I  speak  in     i    • 

•"•          the   '  tongues '  of  men,   or  even  of  angels,  yet 
have  not   Love,   I   have  become   mere   echoing  brass,    or   a 
clanging  cymbal  !     Even  though  I  have  the  gift  of  preaching,     2 
and  fathom  all  hidden  truths  and  all  the  depths  of  know- 
ledge ;  even  though  I  have  such  faith  as  might  move  moun- 
tains, yet  have  not   Love,   I    am  nothing  !     Even  though  I     3 
dole  my  substance  to  the  poor,  even  though  I  sacrifice  my 
body,  that  I   may   boast,   yet   have   not   Love,  it  avails  me 
nothing  !  Love  is  long-suffering,  and  kind  ;  Love  is    4 

never  envious,  never  boastful,  never  conceited,  never  behaves     5 
unbecomingly ;    Love  is  never  self-seeking,  never  provoked, 
never  reckons  up  her  wrongs  ;  Love  never  rejoices  at  evil,  but    6 
rejoices  in  the  triumph  of  Truth  ;  Love  bears  with  all  things,     7 
ever  trustful,  ever  hopeful,  ever  patient.  Love  never    8 

fails.   But,  whether  it  be  the  gift  of  preaching,  it  will  be  done 
with ;  whether  it  be  the  gift  of  '  tongues,'  it  will  cease ;  whether 
it  be  knowledge,  it,  too,  will  be  done  with.    For  our  knowledge     9 
is  incomplete,  and  our  preaching  is  incomplete,  but,  when  the     10 
Perfect  has  come,  that  which  is  incomplete  will  be  done  with. 
When  I  was  a  child,  I  talked  as  a  child,  I  felt  as  a  child,  I     n 
reasoned  as  a  child  ;  now  that  I  am  a  man,  I  have  done  with 
childish  ways.     As  yet  we  see,  in  a  mirror,  dimly,  but  then —     12 
face  to  face  !    As  yet  my  knowledge  is  incomplete,  but  then  I 
shall  know  in  full,  as  I  have  been  fully  known.     Meanwhile     13 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Love  endure — these  three,  but  the  greatest 
of  these  is  Love. 

The  oift  of        Seek  this  Love  earnestly,  and  strive  for  spiritual     i    j 
the  Tongue* 'gifts,  above  all  for  the  gift  of  preaching.     He    2 
»nd  the  Qift  who,  when  speaking,  uses  the  gift  of  '  tongues '  is 
*'"*  speaking,  not  to  men,  but  to  God,  for  no  one 

•  Zech.  8.  17  (Septuagint). 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  14.  325 

understands   him ;    yet  in  spirit  he   is    speaking  of  hidden 
truths.     But  he  who  preaches  is  speaking  to  his  fellow  men     3 
words  that  will  build  up  faith,  and  give  them  comfort  and 
encouragement.       He  who,  when  speaking,  uses  the  gift  of    4 
'  tongues '  builds  up  his  own  faith,  while  he  who  preaches 
builds  up  the  faith  of  the  Church.     Now  I  want  you  all  to  speak     5 
in  '  tongues,'  but  much  more  I  wish  that  you  should  preach. 
A  Preacher  is   of    more    account    than    he   who   speaks   in 
'tongues,'  unless  he  interprets  his  words,   so  that  the  faith 
of  the  Church  may  be  built  up.     This  being  so,  Brothers,     6 
what  good  shall  I  do  you,  if  I  come  to  you    and  speak  in 
'tongues,'  unless  my  words  convey  some  revelation,  or  know- 
ledge, or  take  the  form  of  preaching  or  teaching?  Even  with  in-     7 
animate  things,  such  as  a  flute  or  a  harp,  though  they  produce 
sounds,  yet  unless  the  notes  are  quite  distinct,  how  can  the  tune 
played  on  the  flute  or  the  harp  be  recognized  ?     If  the  bugle     8 
sound  a  doubtful  call,  who  will  prepare  for  battle  ?     And  so  with     9 
you  ;  unless,  in  using  the  gift  of '  tongues,'  you  utter  intelligible 
words,  how  can  what  you  say  be  understood  ?     You  will  be 
speaking  to  the  winds  !     There    is,  for    instance,  a    certain     10 
number  of  different  languages  in  the  world,  and  not  one  of 
them  fails  to  convey  meaning.       If,  however,  I  do  not  hap-     n 
pen  to  know  the  language,  I  shall  be  a  foreigner  to  those 
who  speak  it,  and  they  will  be  foreigners  to  me.     And  so     12 
with   you ;      since    you  are   striving   for   spiritual    gifts,    be 
eager    to  excel  in  such   as   will    build   up  the    faith  of  the 
Church.  Therefore   let    him   who,    when   speaking,     13 

uses  the  gift  of  '  tongues '  pray  for  ability  to  interpret  them. 
If,  when  praying,    I   use    the   gift    of   'tongues,'   my   spirit     14 
indeed  prays,  but  my  mind  is  a  blank.     What,  then,  is  my  con-     15 
elusion  ?     Simply  this — I  will  pray  with  my  spirit,  but  with  my 
mind  as  well ;  I  will  sing  with  my  spirit,  but  with  my  mind  as 
well.     If  you  bless  God  with  your  spirit  only,  how  can  the  man     16 
in  the  congregation  who  is  without  your  gift  say  '  Amen '  to 
your  thanksgiving?    He  does  not  know  what  you  are  say- 
ing !     Your   thanksgiving  may  be  excellent,   but  the    other     17 
is  not  helped  by  it.     Thank  God,  I  use  the  gift  of  '  tongues'     18 
more  than  any  of  you.     But  at  a  meeting  of  the  Church  I     19 
would  rather  speak  five  words  with  my  mind,  and  so  teach 
others,    than   ten   thousand   words   when  using  the  gift  of 
'  tongues. ' 

Brothers,  do  not  show  yourselves  children  in  understanding.     20 
In  wickedness  be  infants,  but  in  understanding  show  your- 
selves men.     It  is  said  in  the  Law —  21 

( In  strange  tongues  and  by  the  lips  of  strangers  will  I 
speak  to  this  people,  but  even  then  they  will  not  listen  to  me, 
says  the  Lord.' 

»  I.a.  rf.  n. 


326  I.  CORINTHIANS,  14. 

Therefore  the  gift  of  the  '  tongues '  is  intended  as  a  sign,  not    22 
for  those  who  believe  in  Christ,  but  for  those  who  do  not,  while 
the  gift  of  preaching  is  intended  as  a  sign,  not  for  those  who 
do  not  believe  in  Christ,  but  for  those  who  do.  So,     23 

when  the  whole  Church  meets,  if  all  present  use  the  gift  of 
'tongues,'  and  some  men  who  are  without  the  gift,  or  who 
are  unbelievers,  come  in,  will  not  they  say  that  you  are  mad  ? 
While,  if  all  those  present  use  the  gift  of  preaching,  and  an     24 
unbeliever,  or  a  man  without  the  gift,  comes  in,  he  is  con- 
vinced of  his  sinfulness  by  them  all,  he  is  called  to  account  by 
them  all ;    the  secrets  of  his  heart  are  revealed,  and  then,     25 
throwing  himself  on  his  face,  he  will  worship  God,  and  declare 
"  '  God  is  indeed  among  you ! ' " 

What  do  I  suggest,  then,  Brothers  ?   Whenever  you  meet  for     26 
worship,  each  of  you  comes,  either  with  a  hymn,  or  a  lesson, 
or  a  revelation,    or  the  gift  of  'tongues,'  or  the  interpreta- 
tion of  them  ;    let  everything  be  directed  to  the  building  up 
of  faith.     If  any  of  you  use  the  gift  of  '  tongues,'  not  more  than     27 
two,  or  at  the  most  three,  should  do  so — each  speaking  in  his 
turn — and  some  one  should  interpret  them.     If  there  is  no  one     28 
able  to  interpret  what  is  said,  they  should  remain  silent  at  the 
meeting  of  the   Church,   and  speak    to    themselves  and   to 
God.     Of  preachers  two  or  three  should  speak,  and  the  rest     29 
should  weigh  well  what  is  said.     But,  if  some  revelation  is     30 
made  to  another  person  as  he  sits  there,  the  first  speaker  should 
stop.     For  you  can  all  preach  in  turn,  so  that  all  may  learn     31 
some  lesson  and  all  receive  encouragement.     (The  spirit  that     32 
moves  the  preachers  is  within  the  preachers'  control ;  for  God     33 
is  not  a  God  of  disorder,  but  of  peace.)     This  custom  prevails 
in  all  the  Churches  of  Christ's  People. 

TH»  Necessity      At  the  meetings  of  the  Church  married  women     34 

for  order,  should  remain  silent,  for  they  are  not  allowed  to 
speak  in  public  ;  they  should  take  a  subordinate  place,  as 
the  Law  itself  directs.  If  they  want  information  on  any  35 
point,  they  should  ask  their  husbands  about  it  at  home ; 
for  it  is  unbecoming  for  a  married  woman  to  speak  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Church.  What !  did  God's  Message  36 

to  the  world  originate  with  you  ?  or  did  it  find  its  way  to 
none  but  you  ? 

If  any  one  thinks  that  he  has  the  gift  of  preaching  or  any     37 
other  spiritual  gift,  let  him  recognize  that  what  I  am  now 
saying  to  you  is  a  command  from  the  Lord.     Any  one  who     38 
ignores  it  may  be  ignored.     Therefore,  my  Brothers,  strive     39 
for  the  gift  of  preaching,  and  yet  do  not  forbid  speaking  in 
'tongues.'     Let  eveiything  be  done  in  a  proper  and  orderly     40 
manner. 

» Isa.  45.  14. 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  16. 


IV. — THE  APOSTLE'S  TEACHING  AS  TO  THE  RESURRECTION  OF 
THE  DEAD. 

Next,  Brothers,  I  would  remind  you  of  the   Good   News     i    ; 
which  I  told  you,  and  which  you  received — the  Good  News  on 
which  you  have  taken  your  stand,  and  by  means  of  which     2 
you  are  being  saved.     I  would  remind  you  of  the  very  words 
that  I  used  in  telling  it  to  you,  since  you  are  still  holding  fast 
to  it,  and  since  it  was  not  in  vain  that  you  became  believers 
in  Christ.     For  at  the  very  beginning  of  my  teaching  I  gave     3 
you   the  account   which  I  had  myself  received — that  Christ 
died  for  our  sins  (as  the  Scriptures  had  foretold),  that  he  was     4 
buried,  that  on  the  third  day  he  was  raised  (as  the  Scriptures 
had  foretold),  and  that  he  appeared  to  Kephas,  and  then  to  the     5 
Twelve.     After  that,  he  appeared  to  more  than  five  hundred     6 
of  our  Brothers  at  one  time,  most  of  whom  are  still  alive, 
though  some  have  gone  to  their  rest.     After  that,  he  appeared     7 
to  James,  and  then  to  all  the  Apostles.  Last  of  all,  he  appeared     8 
even  to  me,  who  am,  as  it  were,  the  abortion.  For  I     9 

am  the  meanest  of  the  Apostles,  I  who  am  unworthy  of  the 
name  of  '  Apostle,'  because  I  persecuted  the  Church  of  God. 
But  it  is  through  the  love  of  God  that  I  am  what  I  am,  and  the     10 
love  that  he  showed  me  has  not  been  wasted.       No,  I  have 
toiled  harder  than  any  of  them,  and  yet  it  was  not  I,  but  the 
love  of  God  working  with  me.     Whether,  then,  it  was  I  or     n 
whether  it  was  they,  this  we  proclaim,  and  this  you  believed. 

Now,  if  it  is  proclaimed  of  Christ  that  he  has  been  raised     12 
from  the  dead,  how  is  it  that  some  of  you  say  that  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  a  resurrection  of  the  dead  ?     But,  if  there  is  no     13 
such  thing  as  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then  even  Christ  has 
not  been  raised  ;    and,  if  Christ  has  not  been  raised,  then  our     14 
proclamation  is  without  meaning,  and  our  faith  without  mean- 
ing also  !     Yes,  and  we  are  being  proved  to  have  borne  false     15 
testimony  about  God  ;  for  we  testified  of  God  that  he  raised 
the  Christ,  whom  he  did  not  raise,  if,  indeed,  the  dead  do  not 
rise  !     For,  if  the  dead  do  not  rise,  then  even  Christ  himself  has     16 
not  been  raised,  and,  if  Christ  has  not  been  raised,  your  faith  is     17 
folly — your  sins  are  on  you   still !     Yes,  and  they,  who  have     18 
passed  to  their  rest  in  union  with  Christ,  perished  !   If  all  that     19 
we  have  done  has  been  to  place  our  hope  in  Christ  for  this 
life,  then  we  of  all  men  are  the  most  to  be  pitied. 

But,  in  truth,  Christ  has  been  raised  from  the  dead,  the  first-     20 
fruits  of  those  who  are  at  rest.     For,  since  through  a  man     21 
there  is  death,  so,  too,  through  a  man  there  is  a  resurrection 
of  the  dead.       For,  as  through  union   with   Adam  all   men     22 
die,    so   through    union  with    the  Christ   will   all    be    made 

*  Hos.  6.  a. 


328  I.  CORINTHIANS,  15. 

to  live.  But  each    in    his    proper   order— Christ  the 

first-fruits ;  afterwards,  at  his  Coming,  those  who  belong 
to  the  Christ.  Then  will  come  the  end — when  he  surrenders 
the  Kingdom  to  his  God  and  Father,  having  overthrown  all 
other  rule  and  all  other  authority  and  power.  For  he  must 
reign  until  God  '  has  put  all  his  enemies  under  his  feet.'  The 
last  enemy  to  be  overthrown  is  death  ;  for  God  has  placed  all 
things  under  Christ's  feet.  (But,  when  it  is  said  that  all  things 
have  been  placed  under  Christ,  it  is  plain  that  God  is  excepted 
who  placed  everything  under  him.)  And,  when  everything  has 
been  placed  under  him,  the  Son  will  place  himself  under  God 
who  placed  everything  under  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all  ! 

Again,  what  good  will  they  be  doing  who  are  baptized  on 
behalf  of  the  dead  ?  If  it  is  true  that  the  dead  do  not  rise,  why 
are  people  baptized  on  their  behalf?.  Why,  too,  do  we  risk  our 
lives  every  hour  ?  Daily  I  face  death — I  swear  it,  Brothers,  by 
the  pride  in  you  that  I  feel  through  my  union  with  Christ  Jesus, 
our  Lord.  If  with  only  human  hopes  I  had  fought  in  the 
arena  at  Ephesus,  what  should  I  have  gained  by  it  ?  If  the 
dead  do  not  rise,  then — '  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow 
we  shall  die  ' !  Do  not  be  deceived. 

'  Good  character  is  marred  by  evil  company.' 

Awake  to  a  righteous  life,  and  cease  to  sin.  There  are  some 
who  have  no  true  knowledge  of  God.  I  speak  in  this  way  to 
shame  you. 

Some  one,  however,  may  ask  '  How  do  the  dead  rise  ?  and 
in  what  body  will  they  come  ?  '  You  foolish  man  !  The  seed 
you  yourself  sow  does  not  come  to  life,  unless  it  dies  !  And 
when  you  sow,  you  sow  not  the  body  that  will  be,  but  a  mere 
grain — perhaps  of  wheat,  or  something  else.  God  gives  it 
the  body  that  he  pleases — to  each  seed  its  special  body.  All 
forms  of  life  are  not  the  same  ;  there  is  one  for  men,  another 
for  beasts,  another  for  birds,  and  another  for  fishes.  There 
are  heavenly  bodies,  and  earthly  bodies  ;  but  the  beauty  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  is  not  the  beauty  of  the  earthly.  There  is  a 
beauty  of  the  sun,  and  a  beauty  of  the  moon,  and  a  beauty  of 
the  stars  ;  for  even  star  differs  from  star  in  beauty.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Sown  a  mortal  body, 
it  rises  immortal  ;  sown  disfigured,  it  rises  beautiful ;  sown 
weak,  it  rises  strong  ;  sown  a  human  body,  it  rises  a  spiritual 
body.  As  surely  as  there  is  a  human  body,  there  is  also 

a  spiritual  body.  That  is  what  is  meant  by  the  words — '  Adam, 
the  first  man,  became  a  human  being ' ;  the  last  Adam  became 
a  Life-giving  spirit.  That  which  comes  first  is  not  the 
spiritual,  but  the  human  ;  afterwards  comes  the  spiritual ; 

s.  no.  i  ;  8.  6.    82  Isa.  aa.  13.     33  Menandcr,  Thais.     «  Gen.  a.  7 


I.  CORINTHIANS,  15-13.  329 

the  first  man  was  from  the  dust  of  the  earth  ;  the  second  man    47 
from   Heaven.      Those  who  are    of  the    dust  are    like  him     48 
who  came  from  the  dust ;   and   those  who  are  of   Heaven 
are  like  him  who  came  from  Heaven.     And  as  we  have  borne    49 
the  likeness  of  him  who  came  from  the  dust,  so  let  us  bear 
the  likeness  of  him  who  came  from  Heaven.  This     50 

I  say,  Brothers — Flesh  and  blood  can  have  no  share  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  nor  can  the  perishable  share  the  imperish- 
able.    Listen,    I   will  tell  you  God's  hidden  purpose !      We     51 
shall  not  all  have  passed  to  our  rest,  but  we  shall  all  be  trans- 
formed— in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last     52 
trumpet-call;  for  the  trumpet  will  sound,  and  the  dead  will 
rise  immortal,  and  we,  also,  shall  be  transformed.     For  this     53 
perishable  body  of  ours  must  put  on  an  imperishable  form,  and 
this  dying  body  a  deathless  form.     And,  when  this  dying  body     54 
has  put  on  its  deathless  form,  then  indeed  will  the  words  of 
Scripture  come  true — 

'  Death  has  been  swallowed  up   in   victory  !      Where,   O          55 
Death,  is  thy  victory  ?     Where,  O  Death,  is  thy  sting  ?  ' 

It  is  sin  that  gives  death  its  sting,  and  it  is  the  Law  that  56 
gives  sin  its  power.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  who  gives  us  the  57 
victory,  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.  Therefore,  58 

my  dear  Brothers,  stand  firm,  unshaken,  always  diligent  in  the 
Lord's  work,  for  you  know  that,  in  union  with  him,  your  toil 
is  not  in  vain. 

V. — CONCLUSI  ON. 

The  With  reference  to  the   Collection   for  Christ's     i 

collection     People,  I  want  you  to  follow  the  instructions  that 
for  the  Poor  j  gave  to  the  Churches  in  Galatia.     On  the  first     2 

at  Jerusalem.   ^^   Qf  every   week   each   of   yOU    should    put    by 

what  he  can  afford,  so  that  no  collections  need  be  made  after 
I  have  come.     On  my  arrival,  I  will  send  any  persons,  whom     3 
you  may  authorize  by  letter,  to  carry  your  gift  to  Jerusalem  ; 
and,  if  it  appears  to  be  worth  while  for  me  to  go  also,  they    4 
shall  go  with  me. 
The  Apostle's      I  wi"  come  to  you  as  soon   as    I  have  been     5 

Plans.        through   Macedonia — for    I  am   going  through 
Macedonia — and  I  shall  probably  make  some  stay  with  you  or,     6 
perhaps,  remain  for  the  winter,  so  that  you  may  yourselves 
send  me  on  my  way,  wherever  I  may  be  going.     I   do  not     7 
propose  to  pay  you  a   visit  in    passing  now,   for   I  hope  to 
stay  with  you  for  some  time,  if  the  Lord  permits.     I  intend,     8 
however,  staying  at  Ephesus  till  the  Festival  at  the  close  of 
the  Harvest ;    for  a  great  opening  for  active  work  has  pre-     9 
sented  itself,  and  there  are  many  opponents. 

47  Gen.  2.  7.    6*  Isa.  25.  8.    63(  57  Hos.  13.  14. 

M* 


330  I.  CORINTHIANS,  16. 

If  Timothy  comes,  take  care  that  he  has  no     10 
Timothy.     cause  for  feeling  anxious  while  he  is  with  you. 
He  is  doing  the  Master's  work  no  less  than  I  am.     No  one,     n 
therefore,  should  slight  him.     See  him  safely  on  his  way  to 
me,  for  I  am  expecting  him  with  some  of  our  Brothers. 

As  for  our  Brother  Apollos,  I  have  often  urged     12 
Apoiios.      ^^  t£)  g.Q  to  yOU  ^{.jj  the  others.     He  has,  how- 
ever, been  very  unwilling  to  do  so  as  yet ;  but  he  will  go  as 
soon  as  he  finds  a  good  opportunity. 

Be  watchful  ;  stand  firm  in  your  faith  ;  show  13 
Exhortation*.  yOurseives  men  ;  be  strong.  Let  everything  you  14 
do  be  done  in  a  loving  spirit. 

I  have  another  request  to  make  of  you,   Brothers.     You     15 
remember  Stephanas  and  his  household,  and  that  they  were 
the  first-fruits  gathered  in  from  Greece,  and  set  themselves 
to   serve   Christ's    People.      I    want  you,    on   your    part,    to     16 
show  deference  to  such  men  as  these,   as  well  as  to  every 
fellow  labourer  and  earnest  worker.     I   am  glad  Stephanas     17 
and  Fortunatus  and  Achaicus  have  come,  for  they  have  made 
up  for  your  absence  ;  they  have  cheered  my  heart,  and  your     18 
hearts,  also.     Recognize  the  worth  of  such  men  as  these. 

The  Churches  in  Roman  Asia  send  you  their     19 
'"•*    greetings.     Aquila  and  Prisca  and   the   Church 
that  meets  at  their  house  send  you  many  Christian  greetings. 
All  our  Brothers  send  you  greetings.  Greet  one  another     20 

with  a  sacred  kiss. 

The  I,   Paul,  add  this  greeting  in  my  own  hand-     21 

Apostle's  own  writing.     Accursed  be  any  one  who  has  no  love     22 

Farewell.      for  the  Lord.     THE  LORD  is  COMING.     May  the     23 

blessing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  be  with  you.     My  love  to  all  of    24 

you  who  are  in  union  with  Christ  Jesus. 


TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 
II. 


ST.   PAUL'S  <  SECOND    LETTER'   TO 
THE    CORINTHIANS. 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  DURING  HIS  STAY  IN 
MACEDONIA,  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  HIS  THIRD 
MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  ABOUT  55  A.D. 


IN  the  brief  period  that  seems  to  have  intervened  between 
the  writing  of  St.  Paul's  two  existing  Letters  to  the  Corinthians, 
the  Apostle  appears  to  have  paid  a  second  visit  to  Corinth,  of 
which  no  account  has  come  down  to  us  (2  Cor.  12.  14  ;  13.  i.). 
Apparently  that  visit  failed  of  its  object,  and  the  reception  given 
to  the  Apostle  was  not  such  as  he  had  the  right  to  expect. 
It  seems  that  St.  Paul,  returning  to  Ephesus,  wrote  a  strongly- 
worded  letter  to  his  disloyal  Corinthian  converts,  and  that  this 
letter  effected,  as  he  afterwards  learned,  the  purpose  which 
the  visit  had  failed  to  effect.  (That  letter  is  generally  thought 
to  have  been  lost,  but  it  has  been  suggested,  with  some  proba- 
bility, that  part  of  it  forms  the  last  four  chapters  of  this  so-called 
'  Second  Letter '  to  the  Corinthians).  |A  few  months  later,  a 
riot  instigated  by  Demetrius,  the  silversmith,  drove  the  Apostle 
from  Ephesus  (Acts  19.  20;  2  Cor.  i.  8).  Travelling  north- 
wards, the  Apostle  went  to  the  Troad,  in  the  hope  of  meeting 
Titus  (who  had  been  sent,  possibly  with  the  '  Lost  Letter,'  to 
Corinth),  and  of  receiving  from  him  some  re-assuring  news  as 
to  the  position  of  matters  in  the  Corinthian  Church.  But 
Titus  had  not  yet  arrived,  and,  after  waiting  for  him  for  some 
time  in  vain,  St.  Paul,  keenly  disappointed  (2  Cor.  2.  13),  went 
on  into  Macedonia.  There  he  met  Titus  at  Philippi ;  and  to  the 
Apostle's  great  joy  Titus  was  able  to  report  that  the  Letter  had 
been  well  received,  and  promptly  acted  upon,  by  the  majority  of 
the  Corinthian  Christians,  and  that  they  cherished  a  hearty 
affection  for  St.  Paul  himself.  On  the  other  hand  the  Apostle 
was  greatly  distressed  to  learn  that  there  were  members  of  the 
Church  who  still  stubbornly  refused  to  submit  to  his  authority, 
and  who  attacked  him  with  cruel  and  persistent  slander.  This 
news,  brought  by  Titus,  may  have  been  the  occasion  of  the 
present  Letter.  It  is  an  outburst  of  passionate  feeling,  in 
which  the  Apostle  expresses  his  gratitude  for  the  kindness  and 
obedience  manifested  towards  him  by  the  majority  of  the 
Church,  and  defends  his  own  personal  character  and  apostolic 
authority  against  the  unscrupulous  attacks  of  the  minority. 


TO    THE 

CORINTHIANS. 


I.  —  INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  Church  of  God  in  Corinth,  and  to  all     I 
Greeting.  Christ's  People  throughout  Greece, 

FROM  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Christ  Jesus,  by  the  will  of  God, 
AND  FROM  Timothy,  a  Brother. 

May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you  and     2 
give  you  peace. 

Blessed  is  the  God  and  Father  of  Jesus  Christ     3 
Thaifk'.'rtvK  our  Lord'  the  all-merciful  Father,  the  God  ever 
for          ready  to   console,   who   consoles   us   in   all   our    4 

E"^nentfre"    trou^'es)  so  tnat  we  mav  be  able  to  console  those 
who  are  in  any  trouble  with  the  consolation  that 
we  ourselves  receive  from  him.     It  is  true  that  we  have  our  full     5 
share  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Christ,  but  through  the  Christ  we 
have  also  our  full   share  of  consolation.     If  we  meet  with     6 
trouble,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  your  consolation  and  salvation  ; 
and,  if  we  find  consolation,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  the  consolation 
that  you  will  experience  when  you  are  called  to  endure  the  very 
sufferings  that  we  ourselves  are  enduring  ;  and  our  hope  for    7 
you  remains  unshaken.    We  know  that,  as  you  are  sharing  our 
sufferings,  you  will  also  share  our  consolation.  We     8 

want  you,  Brothers,  to  know  that,  in  the  troubles  which  befel 
us   in    Roman   Asia,    we  were   burdened  altogether  beyond 
our  strength,  so  much  so   that   we   even   despaired   of  life. 
Indeed,  we  had  the  presentiment  that  we  must  die,  so  that  we     9 
might  rely,  not  on  ourselves,  but  on  God  who  raises  the  dead. 
And  from  so  imminent  a  death  God  delivered  us,  and  will     10 
deliver  us  again  ;  for  in  him  we  have  placed  our  hopes  of  future 
deliverance,  while  you,  also,  help  us  by  your  prayers.     And     1  1 
then  many  lips  will  give  thanks  on  our  behalf  for  the  blessing 
granted  us  in  answer  to  many  prayers. 


834  II.  CORINTHIANS,  1—2. 


II. — THE  APOSTLE'S  RELATIONS  WITH  HIS  CONVERTS. 

The  Purity        Indeed,  our  main   ground   for  satisfaction  is     12 
of  his        this — Our  conscience  tells  us  that  our  conduct  in  the 
Motives,      world,  and  still  more  in  our  relations  with  you,  was 
marked  by  a  purity  of  motive  and  a  sincerity  that  were  inspired 
by  God,  and  was  based,  not  on  worldly  policy,  but  on  the  help 
of  God.     We  never  write  anything  to  you  other  than  what  you     13 
read  in  public  apd  acknowledge.     And  my  hope  is  that  you 
will   acknowledge  to   the  very  end — and,  indeed,  you   have     14 
already  partly  acknowledged  it  about  us — that  you  have  a 
right  to  be  proud  of  us,  as  we  shall  be  proud  of  you,  on  the 
Day  of  our  Lord  Jesus. 

The  Postpone-     With  this  conviction  in  my  mind,  I  planned  to     15 
mentor  his   come   to  see  you  first,   so    that    your   pleasure 

visit.        might  be  doubled — to  visit  you  both  on  my  way  to     16 
Macedonia,  and  to  come  to  you  again   on  my  return  from 
Macedonia,  and  then  to  get  you  to  send  me  on  my  way  into 
Judaea.      As  this   was  my   plan,    where,   pray,  did    I    show     17 
any  fickleness  of  purpose  ?     Or  do  you  think  that  my  plans  are 
formed  on  mere  impulse,  so  that  in  the  same  breath  I  say  '  Yes ' 
and  '  No '  ?     As  God  is  true,  the  Message  that  we  brought  you     18 
does  not  waver  between  '  Yes '  and  '  No  ' !     The  Son  of  God,     19 
Christ  Jesus,  whom  we — Silas,  Timothy,  and  I — proclaimed 
among  you,  never  wavered  between  'Yes  '  and  '  No.'  With  him 
it  has  always  been  '  Yes.'     For,  many  as  were  the  promises  of    20 
God,   in  Christ  is  the   '  Yes '-  that   fulfils   them.     Therefore, 
through  Christ  again,  let  the  'Amen  'rise,  through  us,  totheglory 
of  God.     God  who  brings  us,  with  you,  into  close  union  with     21 
Christ,  and  who  consecrated  us,  also  set  his  seal  upon  us,  and     22 
gave  us  his  Spirit  in  our  hearts  as  a  pledge  of  future  blessings. 

But,  as  my  life  shall  answer  for  it,  I  call  God  to  witness  that     23 
it  was  to  spare  you  that  I  deferred  my  visit  to  Corinth.     I  do     24 
not  mean  that  we  are  to  dictate  to  you  with  regard  to  your 
faith  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  work  with  you  for  your  true  happi- 
ness ;  indeed,  it  is  through  your  faith  that  you  are  standing 
firm.     For  my  own  sake,  as  well,   I  decided  not  to  pay  you     I 
another  painful  visit.     If  it  is  I  who  cause  you  pain,  why,  who     2 
is  there  to  cheer  me,   except  the  very  person  whom   I  am 
paining?     So  I  wrote  as  I  did,  for  fear  that,  if  I  had  come,  I     3 
should  have  been  pained  by  those  who  ought  to  have  made  me 
glad  ;  for  I  felt  sure  that  it  was  true  of  you  all  that  my  joy  was 
in  every  case  yours  also.     I  wrote  to  you  in  sore  trouble  and     4 
distress  of  heart  and  with  many  tears,  not  to  give  you  pain,  but 
to  let  you  see  how  intense  a  love  I  have  for  you. 

Now  whoever  has  caused  the  pain  has  not  so  much  pained     5 
me,  as  he  has,  to  some  extent — not  to  be  too  severe — pained 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  2-3.  335 

every  one  of  you.     The  man   to  whom    I    refer  has  been    6 
sufficiently  punished  by  the  penalty  inflicted  by  the  majority 
of  you  ;  so  that  now  you  must  take  the  opposite  course,  and     7 
forgive  and  encourage  him,  or  else  he  may  be  overwhelmed  by 
the  intensity  of  his  pain.     So  I  entreat  you  to  assure  him  of    8 
your.love.    I  had  this  further  object,  also,  in  what  I  wrote —    9 
to  ascertain  whether  you  might  be  relied  upon  to  be  obedient 
in  everything.     When  you  forgive  a  man  anything,  I  forgive     10 
him,  too.     Indeed,  for  my  part,  whatever  I  have  forgiven  (if 
I  have  had  to  forgive  anything),  I  have  forgiven  for  your  sakes, 
in  the  presence  of  Christ,  so  as  to  prevent  Satan  from  taking     1 1 
advantage  of  us  ;  for  we  are  not  ignorant  of  his  devices. 

When  I  went  to  the  district  round  Troas  to  tell  the  Good     12 
News  of  the  Christ,  even  though  there  was  an  opening  for 
serving  the  Master,  I  could  get  no  peace  of  mind  because  I     13 
failed  to  find  Titus,  my  Brother  ;  so  I  took  leave  of  the  people 
there,  and  went  on  to  Macedonia.  All  thanks  to  God,     14 

who,  through  our  union  with  the  Christ,  leads  us  in  one  con- 
tinual triumph,  and  uses  us  to  spread  the  sweet  odour  of  the 
knowledge  of  him  in  every  place.     For  we  are  the  fragrance     15 
of  Christ  ascending  to  God — both  among  those  who  are  in  the 
path  of  Salvation  and  among  those  who  are  in  the  path  to 
Ruin.     To  the  latter  we  are  an  odour  which  arises  from  death     16 
and  tells  of  Death  ;  to  the  former  an  odour  which  arises  from 
life  and  tells  of  Life.   But  who  is  equal  to  such  a  task  ?     Unlike     17 
many  people,  we  are  not  in  the  habit  of  making  profit  out  of 
God's  Message  ;  but  in  all  sincerity,  and  bearing  God's  com- 
mission, we  speak  before  him  in  union  with  Christ. 

His  converts      Are  we  beginning  to  commend  ourselves  again  ?     i 

vindication    ^r  are  we        e  some  wno  need  letters  of  com- 

of  his        mendation  to  you,  or  from  you  ?     You  yourselves     2 
Ministry,      are  our  letter — a  letter  written  on  our  hearts,  and 
one  which    everybody  can   read  and   understand.      All  can     3 
see  that   you  are   a   letter   from   Christ  delivered   by  us,    a 
letter  written,  not  with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Living 
God,  not  on  '  tablets  of  stone,'   but   on  '  tablets   of  human 
hearts.' 


III. — THE  MINISTRY  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

The  Glory  of      This,  then,  is  the  confidence  in  regard  to  God     4 
the  Gospel    that  we  have  gained  through  the  Christ.     I  do  not     5 
^Itht'he*1    mean  tnat  we  are  fit  to  form  any  judgement  by 
Giory  of  the  ourselves,  as  if  on  our  own  authority  ;  our  fitness 

Law-         comes  from  God,  who  himself  made  us  fit  to  be     6 
ministers  of  a  New  Covenant,  of  which  the  substance  is,  not  a 
3  Exod.  31.  18 ;  34.  i ;  Prov.  3.  3 ;  Ezek.  n.  19;  36.  26. 


336  II.  CORINTHIANS,  8-*. 

written  Law,  but  a  Spirit.     For  the  written  Law  means  Death, 
but  the  Spirit  gives  Life. 

If  the  system  of  religion  which  involved  Death,  embodied    7 
in  a  written  Law  and  engraved  on  stones,  began  amid  such 
glory,  that  the  Israelites   were   unable    to  gaze   at  the  face 
of  Moses  on  account  of  its  glory,  though  it  was  but  a  passing 
glory,  will  not  the  religion  that  confers  the  Spirit  have  still     8 
greater  glory  ?     For,  if  there  was  a  glory  in  the  religion  that    9 
involved  condemnation,  far  greater  is  the  glory  of  the  religion 
that  confers  righteousness !    Indeed,  that  which  then  had  glory     10 
has  lost  its  glory,  because  of  the  glory  which  surpasses  it.    And,     1 1 
if  that  which  was  to  pass  away  was  attended  with  glory,  far 
more  will  that  which  is  to  endure  be  surrounded  with  glory ! 

With  such  a  hope  as  this,  we  speak  with  all  plainness  ;     12 
unlike  Moses,  who  covered  his  face  with  a  veil,   to  prevent     13 
the  Israelites    from    gazing    at    the    disappearance    of  what 
was   passing   away.     But  their  minds   were   slow  to  learn.     14 
Indeed,  to  this  very  dayk  at  the  public  reading  of  the  Old 
Covenant,  the  same  veil  remains  unlifted  ;  only  for  those  who 
are  in  union  with  Christ  does  it  pass  away.     But,  even  to  this     15 
day,  whenever  Moses  is  read,  a  Veil  lies  on  their  hearts.    '  Yet,     16 
whenever  a  man  turns  to  the  Lord,  the  veil  is  removed.'     And     17 
the  '  Lord  '  is  the  Spirit,  and,  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is, 
there  is  freedom.     And  all  of  us,  with  faces  from  which  the  veil     18 
is  lifted,  seeing,  as  if  reflected  in  a  mirror,  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
are  being  transformed  into  his  likeness,  from  glory  to  glory, 
as  it  is  given  by  the  Lord,  the  Spirit. 

Therefore,  since  it  is  by  God's  mercy  that  we  are  engaged  in     i    < 
this  ministry,  we  do  not  lose  heart.    No,  we  have  renounced  the     2 
secrecy  prompted  by  shame,  refusing  to  adopt  crafty  ways,  or  to 
tamper  with  God's  Message,  and  commending  ourselves  to  every 
man's  conscience,  in  th«  sight  of  God,  by  our  exhibition  of  the 
Truth.  And,  even  if  the  Good  News  that  we  bring  is  veiled,  it  is    3 
veiled  only  in  the  case  of  those  who  are  on  the  path  to  Ruin — • 
men  whose  minds  have  been  blinded  by  the  God  of  this  Age,     4 
unbelievers  as  they  are,  so  that  the  light  from  the  Good  News 
of  the  glory  of  the  Christ,  who  is  the  very  incarnation  of  God, 
.should  not  shine  for  them.     (For  it  is  not  ourselves  that  we     5 
proclaim,  but  Christ  Jesus,  as  Lord,  and  ourselves  as  your 
servants  for  Jesus'  sake.)     Indeed,  the  same  God  who  said     6 
'Out  of  darkness  light  shall  shine,'  has  shone  in  upon  our 
hearts,  so  that  we  should  bring  out  into  the  light  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  God,  seen  in  the  face  of  Christ. 

The  This  treasure  we  have  in  these  earthen  vessels,     7 

weakness  or  that  its  all-prevailing  power  may  be  seen  to  come 

'•*   from  God,  and  not  to  be  our  own.     Though  hard    8 
pressed  on  every  side,  we  are  never  hemmed  in  ;  though  per- 

7— M  Exod.  34.  29,  30,  34,  35.     18  Exod.  24.  17. 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  4-5.  337 

plexed,  never  driven  to  despair  ;  though  pursued,  never  aban-    9 
doned  ;  though  struck  down,  never  killed  !     We  always  bear     10 
on  our  bodies  the  marks  of  the  death  that  Jesus  died,  so  that 
the  Life  also  of  Jesus  may  be  exhibited  in  our  bodies.      Indeed,     1 1 
we  who  still  live  are  continually  being  given  over  to  death  for 
Jesus'  sake,  so  that  the  Life  also  of  Jesus  may  be  exhibited 
in  our  mortal  nature.    And  so,  while  death  is  at  work  within  us,     12 
Life  is  at  work  within  you.     But,  in  the  same  spirit  of  faith  as     13 
that  expressed  in  the  words — '  I  believed,  and  therefore  I  spoke,' 
we,  also,  believe,  and  therefore  speak.      For  we  know  that  he     14 
who  raised  the  Lord  Jesus  will  raise  us  also  with  him,  and 
will  bring  us,  with  you,  into  his  presence.     For  all  this  is  for     15 
your  sakes,  that  the  loving-kindness  of  God,  spreading  from 
heart  to  heart,  may  cause  yet  more  hearts  to  overflow  with 
thanksgiving,  to  his  glory. 

Therefore,  as  I  said,  we  do  not  lose  heart.     No,  even  though     16 
outwardly  we  are  wasting  away,  yet  inwardly  we  are  being 
renewed  day  by  day.     The  light  burden  of  our  momentary     17 
trouble  is  preparing  for  us,  in  measure  transcending  thought, 
a  weight  of  imperishable  glory  ;  we,  all  the  while,  gazing  not     18 
on  what  is  seen,  but  on  what  is  unseen  ;  for  what  is  seen  is 
transient,  but  what  is  unseen  is  imperishable.     For  we  know     i    , 
that  if  our  tent — that  earthly  body  which  is  now  our  home — is 
taken  down,  we  have  a  house  of  God's  building,  a  home  not 
made  by  hands,  imperishable,  in  Heaven.     Even  while  in  our     2 
present  body  we  sigh,  longing  to  put  over  it  our  heavenly 
dwelling,  sure  that,  when  we  have  put  it  on,  we  shall  never  be     3 
found  discarnate.     For  we  who  are  in  this  '  tent '  sigh  under    4 
our  burden,  unwilling  to  take  it  off,  yet  wishing  to  put  our 
heavenly  body   over  it,   so  that  all    that   is  mortal  may  be 
absorbed  in  Life.     And  he  who  has  prepared  us  for  this  change     5 
is  God,  who  has  also  given  us  his  Spirit  as  a  pledge. 

Therefore  we  are  always  confident,  knowing  that,  while  our    6 
home  is  in  the  body,  we  are  absent  from  our  home  with  the 
Lord.     For  we  guide  our  lives  by  faith,  and  not  by  what  we     7 
see.     And  in  this  confidence  we  would  gladly  leave  our  home     8 
in  the  body,  and  make  our  home  with  the  Lord.     Therefore,     9 
whether  in  our  home  or  absent  from  our  home,  our  one  ambi- 
tion is  to  please  him.     For  at  the  Bar  of  the  Christ  we  must     10 
all  appear  in  our  true  characters,  that  each  may  reap  the  results 
of  the  life  which  he  has  lived  in  the  body,  in  accordance  with 
his  actions — whether  good  or  worthless. 

Christ  Therefore,  because  we  know  the  fear  inspired     1 1 

their  Motive  by  the  Lord,  it  is  true  that  we  are  trying  to  win 
and  strength.  men,  t>ut  our  motives  are  plain  to  God ;  and  I 
hope  that  in  your  inmost  hearts  they  are  plain  to  you  also. 

18  Ps.  1 16.  10. 


338  II.  CORINTHIANS,  5-6. 

We  are  not  "  commending  ourselves  "  again  to  you,  but  rather     ia 
are  giving  you  cause  for  pride  in  us,  so  that  you  may  have  an 
answer  ready  for  those  who  pride  themselves  on  appearances 
and  not  on  character.     For,  if  we  were  "beside  ourselves,"  it     13 
was  in  God's  service  !     If  we  are  now  in  our  senses,  it  is  in 
yours  !    It  is  the  love  of  the  Christ  which  compels  us,  when  we     14 
reflect  that,  as  one  died  for  all,  therefore  all  died  ;  and  that  he     15 
died  for  all,  so  that  the  living  should  no  longer  live  for  them- 
selves, but  for  him  who  died  and  rose  for  them. 

For  ourselves,  then,  from  this  time  forward,  we  refuse  to     16 
regard  any  one  from  the  world's  standpoint.     Even  if  we  once 
thought  of  Christ  from  the  standpoint  of  the  world,  yet  now 
we  do  so  no  longer.     Therefore,  if  any  one  is  in  union  with     17 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  being  !     His  old  life  has  passed  away  ;  a 
new  life  has  begun  !    But  all  this  is  the  work  of  God,  who  recon-     18 
ciled  us  to  himself  through  Christ,  and  gave  us  the  Ministry  of 
Reconciliation — to  proclaim  that  God,  in  Christ,  was  recon-     19 
ciling   the  world   to   himself,   not  reckoning   men's  .offences 
against  them,  and  that  he  had  entrusted  us  with  the  Message 
of  this  reconciliation. 

It    is,    then,    on    Christ's    behalf  that   we   are    acting    as     20 
ambassadors,  God,  as  it  were,  appealing  to  you  through  us. 
We  implore  you  on  Christ's  behalf — Be  reconciled  to  God. 
Him   who   never  knew   sin   God    made    to   be   Sin,    on   our     21 
behalf;  so  that  we,  through  union  with  him,  might  become 
the  Righteousness  of  God.  Therefore,  as  God's  fellow-     i 

workers,    we  also  appeal  to  you  not  to  receive  his  loving- 
kindness  in  vain.     For  he  says —  2 

'  At  the  time  for  acceptance  I  listened  to  thee, 
And  on  the  day  of  deliverance  I  helped  thee.' 

Now  is  the  time  for  acceptance  !     Now    is    the   day   of  de- 
liverance !     Never  do  we  put  an  obstacle  in  any  one's  way,     3 
that  no  fault  may  be  found  with  our  ministry.     No,  we  are    4 
trying  to  commend  ourselves  under  all  circumstances,  as  God's 
ministers  should — in  many  an  hour  of  endurance,  in  troubles,  in 
hardships,  in  difficulties,  in  floggings,  in  .imprisonments,  in     5 
riots,  in  toils,  in  sleepless  nights,  in  fastings  ;  by  purity,  by     6 
knowledge,  by  patience,  by  kindliness,  by  holiness  of  spirit, 
by  unfeigned    love  ;    by  the  Message  of  Truth,  and  by  the     7 
power  of  God  ;  by  the  weapons  of  righteousness  in  the  right 
hand   and    in   the   left  ;    amid    honour  and   disrepute,    amid     8 
slander  and  praise  ;  regarded  as  deceivers,  yet  proved  to  be 
true  ;  as  unknown,  yet  well-known  ;  as  at  death's  door,  yet,     9 
see,  we  are  living  ;  as  chastised,  yet  not  killed  ;  as  saddened,     10 
yet  always  rejoicing  ;  as  poor,  yet  enriching  many  ;  as  having 
nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all  things  ! 

17  Isa.  43.  1 8,  19.    2  Isa.  49.  8.    »  Pa.  nB.  17—18. 


II.  CORINTHIANS  S-7.  339 


IV. — THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIS  CONVERTS. 

His  Appeal  for     We  have  been  speaking  freely  to  you,  men  of    n 
their  Love.     Corinth  ;  we  have  opened  our  heart;    there    is     12 
room  there  for  you,  yet  there  is  not  room,  in  your  love,  for  us. 
Can  you  not  in  return — I  appeal  to  you  as  I  should  to  children —     13 
open  your  hearts  to  us  ? 

Do  not  enter  into  inconsistent  relations  with     14 
'^gafnat  "*   those  who  reject  the  Faith.     For  what  partnership 
Heathen  in.    can  there  be  between  righteousness  and  lawless- 
fiuences.       negs  ?  Qr  wjiat  j^g  light  to  do  with  darkness  ? 
What  harmony  can  there  be  between  Christ  and  Belial  ?  or     15 
what  can  those  who  accept  the  Faith  have  in  common  with 
those  who  reject  it  ?     What  agreement  can  there  be  between     16 
a  temple  of  God  and  idols  ?     And  we  are  a  temple  of  the 
Living  God.     That  is  what  God  meant  when  he  said — 

'  I  will  dwell  among  them,  and  walk  among  them  ; 

And  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people. 
Therefore  "  Come  out  from  among  the  nations,  17 

And  separate  yourselves  from  them,"  says  the  Lord, 
"And  touch  nothing  impure  ; 
And  I  will  welcome  you  ; 

And  I  will  be  a  father  to  you,  18 

And  you  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters^' 
Says  the  Lord,  the  Ruler  of  all.' 

With  these  promises,  dear  friends,  let  us  purify  ourselves  from     I 
everything  that  pollutes  either  body  or  spirit,  and,  in  deepest 
reverence  for  God,  aim  at  perfect  holiness. 

Make  room   for    us   in   your  hearts.      In   no     2 

His  Anxieties    .  J  .  , 

and          instance  have  we  ever  wronged,  or  harmed,  or 
Encourage-     taken  advantage  of,  any  one.     I  am  not  saying     3 

lts"        this  to  condemn  you.     Indeed,   I  have  already 
said  that  you  are  in  our  very  heart,  to  live  and  die  together.    I     4 
have  the  utmost  confidence  in  you  ;    I  am  always  boasting 
about  you.     I  am  full  of  encouragement  and,  in  spite  of  all  our 
troubles,  my  heart  is  overflowing  with  happiness. 

Ever  since  we  reached  Macedonia,  we  have  had  no  rest  in     5 
body  or  mind  ;  on  every  side  there  have  been  troubles — conflicts 
without,  anxieties  within.      But   God,  who  encourages   the     6 
downcast,  has  encouraged  us  by  the  arrival  of  Titus.     And  it    7 
is  not  only  by  his  arrival  that  we  are  encouraged,  but  also  by 
the  encouragement  which  he  received  from  you  ;  for  he  tells 
us  of  your  strong  affection,  your  penitence,  and  your  zeal  on 
my  behalf — so  that  I  am  happier  still.     For,  though  I  caused     8 
you  sorrow  by  my  letter,  I  do  not  regret  it.     Even  if  I  were 

11  Ps.  119.  32.      18—18  Lev.  26.  ii,  12;    Ezek.  37.  27;    Isa.  52.  n ;    a  Sam.  7.  14; 
Hos.  i.  10 ;  Isa.  43.  6 ;  Amos  4.  13  (Septuagint). 


340  II.  CORINTHIANS,  7-8. 

inclined  to  regret  it — for  I  see  that  fny  letter  did  cause  you 
sorrow  though  only  for  a  time — I  am  glad  now  ;  not  because    9 
of  the  sorrow  it  caused  you,  but  because  your  sorrow  brought 
you  to  repentance.     For  it  was  God's  will  that  you  should  feel 
sorrow,  in  order  that  you  should  not  suffer  loss  in  any  way  at 
our  hands.     For,  when  sorrow  is  in  accordance  with  God's     10 
will,  it  results  in  a  repentance  leading  to  Salvation,  and  which 
will  never  be  regretted.     The  sure  result  of  the  sorrow  that 
the  world  knows  is  Death.     For  see  what  results  that  other     n 
sorrow — sorrow  in  accordance  with  God's  will — has  had  in  your 
case.    What  earnestness  it  produced !  what  explanations !  what 
strong  feeling  !  what  alarm  !  what  longing  !  what  eagerness  ! 
what    readiness   to   punish !     You  have    proved    yourselves 
altogether  free   from  guilt  in  that  matter.     So,  then,  even     12 
though  I  did  write  to  you,  it  was  not  for  the  sake  of  the  wrong- 
doer, or  of  the  man  who  was  wronged,   but  to  make  you 
conscious,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  your  own  earnest  care  for 
us.     And  it  is  this  that  has  encouraged  us. 

In  addition  to  the  encouragement  that  this  gave  us,  we     13 
were  made  far  happier  still  by  the  happiness  of  Titus     for  his 
heart  has  been  cheered  by  you  all.     Although  I  have  been     14 
boasting  a  little  to  him  about  you,  you  did  not  put  me  to 
shame  ;  but,  just  as  every  thing  we  had  said  to  you  was  true, 
so  our  boasting  to  Titus  about  you  has  also  proved  to  be  the 
truth.      And  his  affection  for  you  is  all  the  greater,  as  he     15 
remembers  the  deference  that  you  all  showed  him,  and  recalls 
how  you  received  him  with  anxious  care.  I  am  glad     16 

that  I  can  feel  perfect  confidence  in  you. 


V.  —  THE  PALESTINE  FAMINE  FUND. 


te  remind  you,   Brothers,  of  the  love 

1*  that  God  has  shown  to  the  Churches  in  Macedonia 
Macedonian  —  how,  tried  though  they  were  by  many  a  trouble, 
'**"  their  overflowing  happiness,  and  even  their  deep 
poverty,  resulted  in  a  flood  of  generosity.  I  can  bear  witness 
that  to  the  full  extent  of  their  power,  and  even  beyond  their 
power,  spontaneously,  and  with  many  an  appeal  to  us  for 
permission,  they  showed  their  love,  and  contributed  their  share 
towards  the  fund  for  their  fellow-Christians.  And  that,  not  only 
in  the  way  we  had  expected  ;  but  first  they  gave  themselves  to 
the  Lord,  and  to  us  also,  in  accordance  with  God's  will.  And 
this  led  us  to  urge  upon  Titus  that,  as  he  had  started  the  work 
for  you,  he  should  also  see  to  the  completion  of  this  expression 
of^your  love.  And,  remembering  how  you  excel  in  everything 
•  —  in  faith,  in  teaching,  in  knowledge,  in  unfailing  earnestness, 
and  in  the  affection  that  we  have  awakened  in  you  —  I  ask  you 
to  excel  also  in  this  expression  of  your  love. 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  8—9.  341 

Th«  I  am  not  laying  a  command  upon  you,  but  I     8 

completion    am  making  use  of  the  earnestness  shown  by 
Collection  at   others  to  test  the  genuineness  of  your  affection. 

Corinth.        For  you  do  not  forget  the  loving-kindness  of  our    9 
Lord  Jesus  Christ — how  that  for  your  sakes,  although  he  was 
rich,  he  became  poor,  so  that  you  also   might  become  rich 
through  his  poverty.     I  am  only  making  suggestions  on  this     10 
matter ;  for  this  is  the  best  course  for  you,  since  you  were  a 
year  before  others,   not  only   in   taking  action,   but  also  in 
showing  your  readiness  to  do  so.     And  now  I  want  you  to     n 
complete  the  work,  so  that  its  completion  may  correspond  with 
your  willing  readiness — in  proportion,  of  course,  to  your  means. 
For,  where  there  is  willingness,  a  man's  gift  is  valued  by  its     12 
comparison  with  what  he  has,  and  not  with  what  he  has  not. 
For  our  object  is  not  to  give  relief  to  others  and  bring  distress     13 
on  you,  but,  by  equalizing  matters,  to  secure  that,  on  the  present     14 
occasion,  what  you  can  spare  may  supply  their  need,  so  that 
at  another  time  what  they  can  spare  may  supply  your  need, 
and  thus  matters  may  be  equalized.     As  Scripture  says —  15 

'  The  man  who  had  much  had  nothing  over,  and  the  man 
who  had  little  did  not  lack  ! ' 

Titua  I  thank  God  for  inspiring  Titus  with  the  same     16 

and  other*   keen  interest  in  your  welfare  that  I  have;   for     17 

to  assist.     Titus  has  responded  to  my  appeals  and,  in  his 
great  earnestness,  is  starting  to  go  to  you  of  his  own  accord. 
We  are  sending  with  him  the  Brother  whose  fame  in  the     18 
service  of  the  Good  News  has  spread  through  all  the  Churches  ; 
and  not  only  that,  but  he  has  been  elected  by  the  Churches  to     19 
accompany  us  on  our  journey,  in  connexion  with  this  expres- 
sion of  your  love,  which  we  are  personally  administering  to  the 
honour  of  the  Lord,  and  to  show  our  deep  interest.    What  we  are     20 
specially  guarding  against  is  that  any  fault  should  be  found 
with  us  in  regard  to  our  administration  of  this  charitable  fund ; 
for  we  are  trying  to  make  arrangements  which  shall  be  right,     21 
not  only  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  eyes  of  men. 
We  are  also  sending  with  them  another  of  our  Brothers,  whose     22 
earnestness  we  have  many  a  time  proved  in  many  ways,  and 
whom  we  now  find  made  even  more  earnest  by  his  great 
confidence  in  you.     If  I  must  say  anything  about  Titus,  he  is     23 
my  intimate  companion,  and  he  shares  my  work  for  you  ;  if  it 
is  our  Brothers,  they  are  delegates  of  the  Churches,  an  honour 
to  Christ.  Show  them,  therefore — so  that  the  Churches     24 

may  see  it — the  proof  of  your  affection,  and  the  ground  for  our 
boasting  to  them  about  you. 

With    reference,    indeed,    to    the    Fund    for    your    fellow-     i 
Christians,  it  is  quite  superfluous  for  me  to  say  anything  to 
you.     I  know,  of  course,  your  willingness  to  help,  and  I  am     2 

15  Exod.  16.  18.    21  Prov.  3.  4  (Septuagint). 


342  II.  CORINTHIANS,  O— 1O. 

always  boasting  of  it  to  the  Macedonians.     I  tell  them  that 
you  in  Greece  have  been  ready  for  a  year  past ;  and  it  was 
really  your  zeal   that    stimulated  most    of    them.      So    my     3 
reason  for  sending  our  Brothers  is  to  prevent  what  we  said 
about    you    from    proving,    in    this    particular   matter,     an 
empty  boast,    and    to    enable  you    to    be  as  well    prepared 
as  I  have  been  saying  that  you  are.     Otherwise,  if  any  Mace-     4 
donians  were  to  come  with   me,  and  find  you  unprepared, 
we — to   say   nothing   of  you — should    feel   ashamed    of   our 
present  confidence.     Therefore  I  think  it  necessary  to  urge     5 
the  Brothers  to  go  to  you  in  advance,  and  to  complete  the 
arrangements  for  the  gift,  which  you  have  already  promised, 
so  that  it  may  be  ready,  as  a  gift,  before  I  come,  and  not  look 
as  if  it  were  being  given  under  pressure. 

The  spirit  in       Remember  the  saying — '  Scanty  sowing,  scanty     6 
which  to  make  harvest;  plentiful  sowing,  plentiful  harvest.'  Let     7 
the  collection,  every  one  give  as  he  has  determined  beforehand, 
not  grudgingly    or    under  compulsion  ;    for   God   loves     '  a 
cheerful   giver.'      God   has   power   to   shower    all    kinds    of    8 
blessings  upon  you,  so  that,  having,  under  all  circumstances 
and  on  all  occasions,  all  that  you  can  need,  you  may  be  able  to 
shower  all  kinds  of  benefits  upon  others.     (As  Scripture  says —     9 
'  He  scattered  broadcast,  he  gave  to  the  poor  ; 
His  righteousness  continues  for  ever.' 

And  he  who  supplies  'seed  to  the  sower,  and  bread  for  eating,'     10 
will  supply  you  with  seed,  and  cause  it  to  increase,  and  will 
multiply    '  the   fruits   of  your   righteousness ').     Rich    in   all     1 1 
things  yourselves,  you  will  be  able  to  show  liberality  to  all, 
which,  with  our  help,  will  cause  thanksgiving  to  be  offered  to 
God.     For  the  rendering  of  a  public  service  such  as  this,  not     12 
only  relieves  the  needs  of  your  fellow-Christians,  but  also  results 
in  the  offering  to  God  of  many  a  thanksgiving.     Through  the     13 
evidence  afforded  by  the  service  thus  rendered,  you  cause  men 
to  praise  God  for  your  fidelity  to  your  profession  of  faith  in  the 
Good  News  of  the  Christ,  as  well  as  for  the  liberality  of  your 
contributions  for  them  and  for  all  others.  And  they  also,  in  their     14 
prayers  for  you,  express  their  longing  to  see  you,  because  of 
the  surpassing  love  of  God  displayed  toward  you.  All     15 

thanks  to  God  for  his  inestimable  gift ! 


VI. — THE  APOSTLE'S  CLAIMS  AND  AUTHORITY. 

Now,  I,  Paul,  make  a  personal  appeal  to  you  by 

Assertion     the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  the  Christ — I  who, 

or  hi*        "in  your  presence,  am  humble  in  my  bearing 

Authority.     towartis  VOU)  j,ut>  wnen  absent,  am  bold  in  my 

language  to  you" — I  implore  you  not  to  drive  me  to  "show 

7  Prov.  32.  8  (Septuagint).     'J  Pa.  na.  9.     iu  Hos.  10.  la  ;  Isa.  55.  u>. 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  1O-11.  343 

my  boldness,"  when  I  do  come,  by  the  confident  tone  which 
I  expect  to  have  to  adopt  towards  some  of  you,  who  are 
expecting  to  find  us  influenced  in  our  conduct  by  earthly 
motives.  For,  though  we  live  an  earthly  life,  we  do  not  3 

wage  an  earthly  war.     The  weapons  for  our  warfare  are  not    4 
earthly,  but,  under  God,  are  powerful  enough  to  pull  down 
strongholds.     We  are  engaged  in  confuting  arguments  and     5 
pulling  down  every  barrier  raised  against  the  knowledge  of 
God.     We  are  taking  captive  every  hostile  thought,  to  bring 
it  into  submission  to  the  Christ,  and  are  fully  prepared  to     6 
punish  every  act  of  rebellion,  when  once  your  submission  is  com- 
plete. You  look  at  the  outward  appearance  of  things  !     7 
Let  any  one,  who  is  confident  that  he  belongs  to  Christ,  reflect, 
for  himself,  again  upon  the  fact — that  we  belong  to  Christ  no 
less  than  he  does.     Even  if  I  boast  extravagantly  about  our     8 
authority — which  the  Lord  gave  us  for  building  up  your  faith 
and  not  for  overthrowing  it — still    I  have  no  reason  to  be 
ashamed.     I  say  this,  that  it  may  not  seem  as  if  I  were  trying     9 
to  overawe  you  by  my  letters.    For  people  say  "  His  letters  are     10 
impressive  and  vigorous,  but  his  personal  appearance  is  in- 
significant and  his  speaking  contemptible."    Let  such  a  man  be     n 
assured  of  this — that  our  words  in  our  letters  show  us  to  be, 
when  absent,  just  what  our  deeds  will  show  us  to  be,  when 
present.  We  have  not  indeed  the  audacity  to  class  or     12 
compare  ourselves  with  some  of  those  who  indulge  in  self- 
commendation  !     But,  when  such  persons  measure  themselves 
by  themselves,  and  compare  themselves  with  themselves,  they 
show  a  want  of  wisdom.     We,  however,  will  not  give  way  to     13 
unlimited  boasting,  but  will  confine  ourselves  to  the  limits  of 
the  sphere  to  which  God  limited  us,  when  he  permitted  us  to 
come  as  far  as  Corinth.     For  it  is  not  the  case,  as  it  would  be     14 
if  we  were  not  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  you,  that  we  are 
exceeding  our  bounds  !     Why,  we  were  the  very  first  to  reach 
you  with  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ !     Our  boasting,  there-     15 
fore,  is  not  unlimited,  nor  does  it  extend  to  the  labours  of 
others  ;  but  our  hope  is  that,  as  your  faith  grows,  our  influence 
among  you  maybe  very  greatly  increased — though  still  confined 
to  our  sphere — so  that  we  shall  be  able  to  tell  the  Good  News  in     16 
the  districts  beyond  you,  without  trespassing  on  the  sphere 
assigned  to  others,  or  boasting   of  what   has   been  already 
done.                  '  Let  him  who  boasts  make  his   boast  of  the     17 
Lord.'     For  it  is  not  the  man  who  commends  himself  that     18 
stands   the  test,    but  the  man   who   is  commended   by  the 
Lord. 

His  RiBht         I  could  wish  that  you  would  tolerate  a  little  folly     i 
as  an        in  me  !     But  indeed  you  do  tolerate  me.     I  am     2 
Apostle.      jealous  over  you  with  the  jealousy  of  God.     For  I 
betrothed  you  to  one  husband,  that  I  might  present  you  to  the 


344  II.  CORINTHIANS,  11. 

Christ  a  pure  bride.    Yet  I  fear  that  it  may  turn  out  that,  just  as    3 
the  Serpent  by  his  craftiness  deceived  Eve,  so  your  minds  may 
have  lost  the  loyalty  and  purity  due  from  you  to  the  Christ. 
For,  if  some  new-comer  is  proclaiming  a  Jesus  other  than  him    4 
whom  we  proclaimed,  or  if  you  are  receiving  a  Spirit  different 
from  the  Spirit  which  you  received,  or  a  Good  News  different 
from  that  which  you  welcomed,  then  you  are  marvellously 
tolerant !     I  do  not  regard  myself  as  in  any  way  inferior  to  the     g 
most  eminent  Apostles  !     Though  I  am  no  trained  orator,  yet    6 
I  am  not  without  knowledge  ;  indeed  we  made  this  perfectly 
clear  to  you  in  every  way. 

Perhaps  you  say  that  I  did  wrong  in  humbling  myself  that    7 
you  might  be  exalted — I  mean  because  I  told  you  God's  Good 
News  without  payment.     I  robbed  other  churches  by  taking     8 
pay  from  them,  so  that  I  might  serve  you  !     And,  when  I  was     9 
with  you  and  in  need,  I  did  not  become  a  burden  to  any  of 
you  ;  for  our  Brothers,  on  coming  from  Macedonia,  supplied 
my  needs.     I  kept  myself,  and  will  keep  myself,  from  being 
an  expense  to  you  in  any  way.     As  surely  as  I  know  anything     10 
of  the  Truth  of  Christ,  this  boast,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
shall  not  be  stopped  in  any  part  of  Greece.     Why  ?     Because     1 1 
I  do  not  love  you  ?     God  knows  that  I  do  ! 

What  I  am  doing  now  I  shall  continue  to  do,  that  I  may  cut     12 
away  the  ground  from  under  those  who  are  wishing  for  some 
ground  for  attacking  me,  so  that  as  regards  the  thing  of  which 
they  boast  they  may  appear  in  their  true  characters,  just  as  we 
do.     Men  of  this  stamp  are  false  apostles,  treacherous  workers,     13 
disguising  themselves  as  Apostles  of  Christ !     And  no  wonder  ;     14 
for  even  Satan  disguises  himself  as  an  angel  of  Light.     It  is  not     15 
surprising,  therefore,  if  his  servants  also  disguise  themselves  as 
servants  of  Righteousness.     But  their  end  will  be  in  accordance 
with  their  actions. 

I  say  again — Let  no  one  think  me  a  fool  1   Yet,     16 
H'*  fo*'m*     ^  vou  d°>  at  least  welcome  me  as  you  would  a 
consideration)  fool,  that  I,  too,  may  indulge  in  a  little  boasting. 
•»••  uf*  and    When  I  speak  thus,  I  am  not  speaking  as  the     17 

Master  would,  but  as  a  fool  might,  in  boasting  so 
confidently.     As  so  many  are  boasting  of  earthly  things,  I,     18 
too,  will  boast.     For  all  your  cleverness,  you  tolerate  fools     19 
willingly  enough  !     You  tolerate  a  man  even  when  he  en-     20 
slaves  you,  when  he  plunders  you,  when  he  gets  you  into  his 
power,  when  he  puts  on  airs  of  superiority,  when  he  strikes 
you  in  the  face !     I  admit,  to  my  shame,  that  we  have  been    21 
weak.     But  whatever  the  subject  on  which  others  are  not 
afraid  to  boast — though  it  is  foolish  to  say  so — I  am  not  afraid 
either  !     Are  they  Hebrews  ?     So  am  I  !    Are  they  Israelites  ?    22 
So  am  1 1    Are  they  descendants  of  Abraham,?     So  ajn  I  ! 

"  Jer.  9.  24.    »  Gen.  >  i  > 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  11-12.  346 

Are  they  '  Servants  of  Christ '  ?     Though  it  is  madness  to    23 
talk  like  this,  I  am  more  so  than  they !     I  have  had  more 
of  toil,  more  of  imprisonment !      I  have  been  flogged  times 
without  number.     I  have  been  often  at  death's  door.     Five     24 
times  I  received  at  the  hands  of  the  Jews  forty  lashes,  all 
but  one.     Three  times  I  was  beaten  with  rods.     Once  I  was     25 
stoned.      Three  times  I  was  shipwrecked.      I  have  spent  a     26 
whole  day  and  night  in  the  deep.     My  journeys  have  been 
many.     I  have  been  through  dangers  from  rivers,  dangers 
from  robbers,  dangers  from  my  own   people,  dangers  from 
the    Gentiles,    dangers    in   towns,    dangers   in    the    country, 
dangers  on  the  sea,  dangers  among  false  Brothers.     I  have     27 
been  through  toil  and  hardship.     I  have  passed  many  a  sleep- 
less night ;  I  have  endured  hunger  and  thirst ;  I  have  often 
been  without  food  ;  I  have  known  cold  and  nakedness.     And,     28 
not  to  speak  of  other  things,  there   is   my  daily  burden   of 
anxiety  about  all  the  Churches.      Who  is  weak  without  my     29 
being  weak  ?     Who  is  led  astray  without  my  burning  with 
indignation  ?     If  I  must  boast,  I  will  boast  of  things  which     30 
show  my  weakness  !     The  God  and  Father  of  the  Lord  Jesus —    31 
he  who  is  for  ever  blessed — knows  that  I  am  speaking  the 
truth.     When  I  was  in  Damascus,  the  Governor  under  King     32 
Aretas  had  the  gates  of  that  city  guarded,  so  as  to  arrest  me, 
but  I  was  let  down  in  a  basket  through  a  window  in  the  wall,     33 
and  so  escaped  his  hands. 

I  must  boast !     It  is  unprofitable  ;   but  I  will     i 
HIS  visions.    pass  to  visions  an(j  revelations  given  by  the  Lord. 
I  know  a  man  in  union  with  Christ,  who,  fourteen  years  ago —     2 
whether  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body  I  do  not  know ;  God 
knows — was  caught  up  (this  man  of  whom  I  am  speaking)  to 
the  third  Heaven.     And  I  know  that  this  man — whether  in     3 
the  body  or  separated  from  the  body  I  do  not  know  ;   God 
knows — was  caught  up  into  Paradise,  and  heard  unspeakable    4 
things  of  which  no  human  being  may  tell.      About  such  a     5 
man  I  will  boast,  but  about  myself  I  will  not  boast  except 
as  regards  my  weaknesses.     Yet  if  I  choose  to  boast,  I  shall     6 
not   be  a  fool ;    for  I  shall   be  speaking   no  more   than  the 
truth.       But  I  refrain,  lest  any  one  should   credit  me  with 
more  than  he  can  see  in  me  or  hear  from  me,  and  because 
of  the  marvellous  character  of  the  revelations.     It  was  for  this     7 
reason,   and  to  prevent  my  thinking  too  highly  of  myself, 
that  a  thorn  was  sent  to  pierce  my  flesh — an  instrument  of 
Satan  to  discipline  me — so  that  I  should  not  think  too  highly 
of  myself.     About  this  I  three  times  entreated  the  Lord,  praying     8 
that  it  might  leave  me.     But  his  reply  has  been — '  My  help  is     9 
enough  for  you  ;  for  my  strength  attains  its  perfection  in  the 
midst  of  weakness.' 

Most  gladly,  then,  will  I  boast  all  the  more  of  my  weak- 
nesses, so  that  the  strength  of  the  Christ  may  overshadow  me. 


346  II.  CORINTHIANS,  12-13. 

That  is  why  I  delight  in  weakness,  ill-treatment,  hardships,     10 
persecution,  and  difficulties,  when  borne  for  Christ.    For,  when 
I  am  weak,  then  it  is  that  I  am  strong  ! 


VII.  — CONCLUSION. 

A  I  have  been  "  playing  the  fool  !"    It  is  you  who     n 

Remonstrance,  drove  me  to  it.     For  it  is  you  who  ought  to  have 
been  commending  me  !     Although  I  am  nobody,  in  no  respect 
did  I  prove  inferior  to  the  most  eminent  Apostles.    The  marks     12 
of  the  true  Apostle  were  exhibited  among  you  in  constant 
endurance,  as  well  as  by  signs,  by  marvels,  and  by  miracles. 
In  what  respect,   I    ask,  were   you   treated   worse   than  the     13 
other  Churches,  unless  it  was  that,  for  my  part,  I  refused  to 
become  a  burden  to  you  ?     Forgive  me  the  wrong  I  thus  did 
you  ! 

Remember,  this  is  the  third  time  that  I  have     14 
I0-'    made  every  preparation  to  come  to  see  you,  and  I 
shall  refuse  to  be  a  burden  to  you  ;   I  want,  not  your  money, 
but  you.     It  is  not  the  duty  of  children  to  put  by  for  their 
parents,  but  of  parents  to  put  by  for  their  children.     For  my     15 
part,  I  will  most  gladly  spend,  and  be  spent,  for  your  welfare. 
Can  it  be  that  the  more  intensely  I  love  you  the  less  I  am  to 
be  loved  ?  You  will  admit  that  I  was  not  a  burden  to     16 

you,  but  you  say  that  I  was  "crafty"  and  caught  you  "  by  a 
trick  "  !     Do  you  assert  that  I  took  advantage  of  you  through     17 
any  of  those  whom  I  have  sent  to  you  ?     I  urged  Titus  to  go,     18 
and  I  sent  our  Brother  with  him.     Did  Titus  take  any  ad- 
vantage of  you  ?     Did  not  we  live  in  the  same  Spirit,  and 
tread  in  the  same  footsteps  ? 

Have   you   all   this   time   been   fancying   that     19 
'  n*'    it  is  to  you  that  we  are  making  our  defence  ?     No, 
it  is  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  in  union  with  Christ,  that  we  are 
speaking.     And  all    this,   dear  friends,   is   to  build  up  your 
characters  ;  for  I  am  afraid  that  perhaps,  when  I  come,  I  may     20 
find  that  you  are  not  what  I  want  you  to  be,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  you  may  find  that  I  am  what  you  do  not  want  me 
to  be.     I  am  afraid  that  I  may  find  cjuarrelling,  jealousy,  ill- 
feeling,   rivalry,  slandering,   back-biting,    self-assertion,  and 
disorder.     I  am  afraid  lest,  on  my  next  visit,  my  God  may     21 
humble  me  in  regard  to  you,  and  that  I  may  have  to  mourn 
over  many  who  have  long  been  sinning,  and  have  not  repented 
of  the  impurity,  immorality,  and  sensuality,  in  which  they  have 
indulged. 

For  the  third  time  I  am  coming  to  see  you.     '  By  the  word     i    1 
of  two  or  three  witnesses  each  statement  shall  be  established.' 
I  have  said  it,  and  I  say  it  again  before  I  come,  just  as  if  I     2 
1  Deut.  i<».  15. 


II.  CORINTHIANS,  13.  347 

were  with  you  on  my  second  visit,  though  for  the  moment 
absent,  I  say  to  those  who  have  been  long  sinning,  as  well  as 
to  all  others — that  if  I  come  again,  I  shall  spare  no  one.     And     3 
that  will  be  the  proof,  which  you  are  looking  for,  that  the 
Christ  speaks  through  me.     There   is    no  weakness   in   his 
dealings  with  you.     No,  he  shows  his  power  among  you.     For    4 
though  his  crucifixion  was  due  to  weakness,  his  life  is  due  to 
the  power  of  God.     And  we,  also,  are  weak  in  his  weakness, 
but  with  him  we  shall  live  for  you  through  the  power  of 
God.  Put  yourselves  to  the  proof,  to  see  whether  you     5 

are    holding    to    the    Faith.     Test    yourselves.      Surely   you 
recognize  this  fact  about  yourselves — that  Jesus  Christ  is  in 
you  !     Unless  indeed  you  cannot  stand  the  test !     But  I  hope     6 
that  you  will  recognize  that  we  can  stand  the  test.     We  pray     7 
God  that  you  may  do  nothing  wrong,  not  that  we  may  be  seen 
to  stand  the  test,  but  that  you  may  do  what  is  right,  even  though 
we  may  seem  not  to  stand  the  test.     We  have  no  power  at  all     8 
against  the  Truth,  but  we  have  power  in  the  service  of  the  Truth. 
We  are  glad  when  we  are  weak,  if  you  are  strong.     And  what     9 
we  pray  for  is  that  you  may  become  perfect.  This  is  my     10 

reason  for  writing  as  I  am  now  doing,  while  I  am  away  from 
you,  so  that,  when  I  am  with  you,  I  may  not  act  harshly  in  the 
exercise  of  the  authority  which  the  Lord  gave  me — arid  gave 
me  for  building  up  and  not  for  pulling  down. 

And   now,   Brothers,   good-bye.     Aim  at  per-     n 
Farewells,     fection  ;   take  courage  ;  agree  together ;  live  in 
peace.     And  then   God,   the   source   of  all   love   and   peace, 
will  be  with  you.  Greet  one  another  with  a  sacred     12 

kiss.  All  Christ's  people  here  send  you  their  greetings.     13 

May  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of    14 
God,  and  the  communion  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with  you 
all. 


TO  THE  ROMANS. 


ST.     PAUL'S     LETTER     TO     THE 
CHRISTIANS     IN     ROME. 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  DURING  HIS  STAY  AT 
CORINTH,  IN  THE  COURSE  OF  HIS  THIRD 
MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  ABOUT  56  A.D. 


ST.  PAUL  had  often  wished  to  visit  Rome,  but  up  to  the 
time  of  writing  this  Letter  he  had  been  prevented  by  various 
causes  from  doing  so  (Rom.  i.  n,  13  :  Acts  19.  21).  At  last 
there  seemed  to  be  a  prospect  of  the  realization  of  his  long- 
cherished  desire.  In  the  course  of  his  third  missionary  journey 
he  was  in  Corinth,  and  was  about  to  go  to  Jerusalem  to  carry 
to  the  poorer  Christians  there  the  charitable  contributions  of 
several  other  Churches.  It  was  his  intention,  upon  leaving 
Jerusalem,  to  visit  Spain,  and  he  hoped  on  his  way  to  spend  a 
short  time  in  Rome  (Rom.  15.  24).  He  wrote  the  present 
Letter  in  anticipation  of  this  journey  to  the  West  and  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  in  writing  beforehand  a  full  statement  of 
certain  important  truths. 

Philosophy,  the  Apostle  teaches,  had  failed  as  a  means  of 
Salvation  for  the  Gentile.  The  Law  had  failed  as  a  means 
of  Salvation  for  the  Jew.  In  this  Letter  he  establishes  the 
doctrine  that  faith  in  Christ  is  the  only  ground  of  acceptance 
with  God  for  all  mankind. 

The  extent  to  which  he  develops  his  subject  gives  the  Letter 
largely  the  aspect  of  a  treatise. 


TO    THE 

.      ROMANS.  .   ! 

I. — INTRODUCTION. 

The         To  all  in  Rome  who  are  dear  to  God  and  have  1-7  1 
Apostle's  been  called  to  become  Christ's  People, 

•  Greeting.  FROM  Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  has 
been  called  to  become  an  Apostle,  and  has  been  set  apart 
to  tell  God's  Good  News.  This  Good  News  God  promised 
long  ago  through  his  Prophets  in  the  sacred  Scriptures, 
concerning  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord  ;  who,  as  to 
his  human  nature,  was  descended  from  David,  but,  as  to 
the  spirit  of  holiness  within  him,  was  miraculously 
designated  Son  of  God  by  his  resurrection  from  the  dead. 
Through  him  we  received  the  gift  of  the  Apostolic  office, 
to  win  submission  to  the  Faith  among  all  nations 
for  the  glory  of  his  Name.  And  among  these  nations  are 
you — you  who  have  been  called  to  belong  to  Jesus  Christ. 
May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you 
and  give  you  peace. 

The  Apostle's       First,  I  thank  my  God  through  Jesus  Christ    8 
Thankfulness  about  you  all,  because  the  report  of  your  faith  is 

and  Hope,     spreading  throughout  the  world.     God,  to  whom     9 
I   offer  the  worship  of  my  soul  as  I  tell  the  Good   News  of 
his  Son,  is  my  witness  how  constantly  I  mention  you  when 
I  pray,  asking  that,  if  he  be  willing',  I   may  some  day  at     10 
last  find  the  way  open  to  visit  you.      For  I  long  to  see  you,     1 1 
in  order  to  impart  to  you  some  spiritual  gift  and  so  give 
you  fresh  strength — or  rather  that  both  you  and  I  may  find     12 
encouragement  in  each  other's  faith.     I  want  you  to  know,     13 
Brothers,  that  I  have  many  times  intended  coming  to  see  you 
— but  until  now  I   have  been  prevented — that  I  might  find 
among  you  some  fruit  of  my  labours,  as  I  have  already  among 
the  other  nations. 


352  ROMANS,  1. 


II. — FAITH  THE  ONE  GROUND  OF  ACCEPTANCE  WITH  GOD. 

The  Divin.  I  have  a  duty  to  both  the  Greek  and  the  Bar- 
ideal  barian,  to  both  the  cultured  and  the  ignorant. 
for  Mankind.  ^nd  So,  for  my  part,  I  am  ready  to  tell 
the  Good  News  to  you  also  who  are  in  Rome.  For  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  the  Good  News  ;  it  is  the  power  of  God  which 
brings  Salvation  to  every  one  who  believes  in  Christ,  to  the 
Jew  first,  but  also  to  the  Greek.  For  in  it  there  is  a  revela- 
tion of  the  Divine  Righteousness  resulting  from  faith  and 
leading  on  to  faith  ;  as  Scripture  says — 

'  Through  faith  the  righteous  man  shall  find  Life.' 

So,  too,  there  is  a  revelation  from  Heaven  of 
ortheGerTtiie  the  Divine  Wrath  against  every  form  of  un- 
to reach  this  godliness  and  wickedness  on  the  part  of  those 
**''  men  who,  by  their  wicked  lives,  are  stifling 
the  Truth.  This  is  so,  because  what  can  be  known  about  God 
is  plain  to  them  ;  for  God  himself  has  made  it  plain.  For 
ever  since  the  creation  of  the  universe  God's  invisible  attri- 
butes— his  everlasting  power  and  divinity — are  to  be  seen 
and  studied  in  his  works,  so  that  men  have  no  excuse ; 
because,  although  they  learnt  to  know  God,  yet  they  did  not 
offer  him  as  God  either  praise  or  thanksgiving.  Their  specu- 
lations about  him  proved  futile,  and  their  undiscerning  minds 
were  darkened.  Professing  to  be  wise,  they  showed  themselves 
fools  ;  and  they  transformed  the  Glory  of  the  immortal  God 
into  the  likeness  of  mortal  man,  and  of  birds,  and  beasts,  and 
reptiles. 

Therefore  God  abandoned  them  to  impurity,  letting  them 
follow  the  cravings  of  their  hearts,  till  they  dishonoured  their 
own  bodies ;  for  they  had  substituted  a  lie  for  the  truth 
about  God,  and  had  reverenced  and  worshipped  created 
things  more  than  the  Creator,  who  is  to  be  praised  for  ever. 
Amen.  That,  I  say,  is  why  God  abandoned  them  to 

degrading  passions.  Even  the  women  among  them  perverted 
the  natural  use  of  their  bodies  to  the  unnatural  ;  while  the  men, 
disregarding  that  for  which  women  were  intended  by  nature, 
were  consumed  with  passion  for  one  another.  Men  indulged 
in  vile  practices  with  men,  and  incurred  in  their  own  persons 
the  inevitable  penalty  of  their  perverseness.  Then,  as 

they  would  not  keep  God  before  their  minds,  God  abandoned 
them  to  depraved  thoughts,  so  that  they  did  all  kinds  of 
shameful  things.  They  revelled  in  .every  form  of  wickedness, 
evil,  greed,  vice.  Their  lives  were  full  of  envy,  mur- 
der, quarrelling,  treachery,  malice.  They  became  back-biters, 

17  Hab.  a.  4.     23  pa,  106,  ,,,,. 


ROMANS,  1-2.  353 

Slanderer's,   impious,    insolent,    boastful.     They  devised   new 
sins.    They  disobeyed  their  parents.    They  were  undiscerning,     31 
untrustworthy,  without  natural  affection  or  pity.     Well  aware     32 
of  God's  decree,  that  those  who  do  such  things  deserve  to 
die,  not  only  are   they  guilty  of  them  themselves,  but   they 
even  applaud  those  who  do  them. 

Therefore  you  have  nothing  to  say  in  your  own  defence,     i 
whoever  you  are  who  set  yourself  up  as  a  judge.     In  judging 
others   you   condemn  yourself,  for  you   who  set  yourself  up 
as  a  judge  do  the  very  same  things.      And  we  know  that     2 
God's  judgement  falls  unerringly  upon  those  who  do  them. 
You  who  judge  those  that  do  such  things  and  yet  are  your-     3 
self  guilty  of  them — do  you  suppose  that  you  of  all  men  will 
escape  God's  judgement?     Or  do  you  think  lightly  of  his     4 
abundant  kindness,  patience,  and   forbearance,  not  realizing 
that  his  kindness  is  meant  to  lead  you  to  repentance  ?     Hard-     5 
hearted  and  impenitent  as  you  are,  you  are  storing  up  for 
yourself  Wrath  on  the  '  Day  of  Wrath,'  when  God's  justice  as 
a  judge  will  be  revealed  ;  for  '  he  will  give  to  every  man  what    6 
his  actions  deserve.'     To  those  who,  by  perseverance  in  doing     7 
good,  aim  at  glory,  honour,  and  all  that  is  imperishable,  he 
will  give  Immortal  Life  ;    while  as  to  those  who  are  factious,     8 
and  disobedient  to  Truth  but  obedient  to  Evil,  wrath  and  anger, 
distress  and  despair,  will  fall  upon  every  human  being  who     9 
persists  in  wrong-doing — upon  the  Jew  first,  but  also  upon 
the  Greek.     But  there  will  be  glory,  honour,  and  peace  for     10 
every  one  who  does  right — for  the  Jew  first,  but  also  for  the 
Greek,  since  God  shows  no  partiality.  n 

All  who,  when  they  sin,  are  without  Law  will  also  perish     12 
without  Law  ;  while  all  who,  when  they  sin,  are  under  Law, 
will  be  judged  as  being  under  Law.     It  is  not  those  who  hear     13 
the  words  of  a  Law  that  are  righteous  before  God,  but  it  is 
those  who  obey  it  that  will  be  pronounced  righteous.     When     14 
Gentiles,  who  have  no  Law,  do  instinctively  what  the  Law 
requires,  they,  though  they  have  no  Law,  are  a  Law  to  them- 
selves ;  for  they  show  the  demands  of  the  Law  written  upon     15 
their  hearts  ;  their  consciences  corroborating  it,  while  in  their 
thoughts  they  argue  either  in  self-accusation  or,  it  may  be, 

in  self-defence on  the  day  when  God  passes  judgement  on     16 

men's  inmost  lives,  as  the  Good  News  that  I  tell  declares  that 
he  will  do  through  Christ  Jesus. 

But,  perhaps,  you  bear  the  name  of  'Jew, 'and     17 
FaM  jewsf "  *  are  relying  upon  Law,  and  boast  of  belonging  to 
to  reach  this    God,  and  understand  his  will,  and,  having  been     18 

ideal.         carefully  instructed  from  the  Law,  have  learnt 
to  appreciate  the  finer  moral  distinctions.      Perhaps  you  are     19 
confident  that  you  are  a  guide  to  the  blind,  a  light  to  those 

6  Ps.  62.  12;   Prov.  24.  12. 

N 


354  ROMANS,  2—3. 

who  are  in  the  dark,  an  instructor  of  the  unintelligent,  and     20 
a  teacher  of  the  childish,  because  in  the  Law  you  possess  the 
outline  of  all  Knowledge  and  Truth.     Why,  then,  you  teacher     21 
of  others,  do  not  you  teach  yourself  ?     Do  you  preach  against 
stealing,  and  yet  steal  ?    Do  you  forbid  adultery,  and  yet  com-     22 
mit  adultery  ?    Do  you  loathe  idols,  and  yet  plunder  temples  ? 
Boasting,  as  you  do,  of  your  Law,  do  you  dishonour  God  by     23 
breaking  the  Law  ?     For,  as  Scripture  says —  24 

'The  name  of  God  is  reviled  among  the  Gentiles  because  of 
you ' ! 

Circumcision  has  its  value,  if  you  are  obeying  the  Law.     But,     25 
if  you  are  a  breaker  of  the  Law,  your  circumcision  is  no  better 
than  uncircumcision.     If,  then,  an  uncircumcised  man  pays     26 
regard  to  the  requirements  of  the  Law,  will  not  he,  although 
not  circumcised,  be  regarded  by  God  as  if  he  were?     Indeed,     27 
the  man  who,  owing  to  his  birth,  remains  uncircumcised,  and 
yet  scrupulously  obeys  the  Law,  will  condemn  you,  who,  for 
all  your  written  Law  and  your  circumcision,  are  yet  a  breaker 
of  the  Law.     For  a  man  who  is  only  a  Jew  outwardly  is  not     28 
a  real  Jew  ;  nor  is  outward  bodily  circumcision  real  circum- 
cision.    The  real  Jew  is  the  man  who  is  a  Jew  in  soul ;  and     29 
the   real   circumcision    is   the   circumcision   of  the   heart,    a 
spiritual  and  not  a  literal  thing.      Such  a  man  wins  praise 
from  God,  though  not  from  men. 

What  is  the  advantage,  then,  of  being  a  Jew?  i 
rh%o" jow*P*  or  what  is  the  good  of  circumcision  ?  Great  in  2 
and  contiie  every  way.  First  of  all,  because  the  Jews  were 

*"*••         entrusted  with  God's  utterances.     What  follows     3 
then  ?     Some,  no  doubt,  showed  a  want  of  faith  ;  but  will  their 
want  of  faith  make  God  break  faith  ?     Heaven  forbid  !     God     4 
must  prove  true,  though  every  man  prove  a  liar  !    As  Scripture 
says  of  God — 

1  That  thou  mayest  be  pronounced  righteous  in  what  thou  sayest, 
And  gain  thy  cause  when  men  would  judge  thee.' 

But  what  if  our  wrong-doing  makes  God's  righteousness  all  the     5 
clearer?     Will  God  be  wrong  in  inflicting  punishment?     (I 
can  but  speak  as  a  man.)     Heaven  forbid  !     Otherwise  how     6 
can  God  judge  the  world  ?     But,  if  my  falsehood  redounds  to     7 
the  glory  of  God,  by  making  his  truthfulness  more  apparent, 
why  am  I,  like  others,  still  condemned  as  a  sinner?     Why     8 
should    we    not   say — as   some    people    slanderously    assert 
that  we  do  say — '  Let  us  do  evil  that  good  may  come '  ?     The 
condemnation  of  such  men  is  indeed  just ! 

What  follows,  then  ?     Are  we  Jews  in  any  way  superior  to    9 
others  ?     Not  at  all.     Our  indictment  against  both  Jews  and 
Greeks  was  that  all  alike  were  in  subjection  to  sin. 

'*•*  Isa.  53.  5.     *  Ps.  116.  ii  ;  51.  4. 


ROMANS,  3.  355 

As  Scripture  says —  10 

'  There  is  not  even  one  who  is  righteous, 

Not  one  who  understands,  not  one  who  is  searching  for  God  !         1 1 
They   have   all   gone   astray ;    they   have   one   and    all    become      12 

depraved  ; 

There  is  no  one  who  is  doing  good — no,  not  one  ! ' 
'  Their  throats  are  like  opened  graves  ;  13 

They  deceive  with  their  tongues.' 
'  The  venom  of  serpents  lies  behind  their  lips,' 

'  And  their  mouths  are  full  of  bitter  curses.'  14 

'  Swift  are  their  feet  to  shed  blood.  15 

Distress  and  trouble  dog  their  steps,  16 

And  the  path  of  peace  they  do  not  know.'  17 

'  The  fear  of  God  is  not  before  their  eyes.'  18 

Now  we  know  that  everything  said  in  the  Law  is  addressed     19 
to  those  who  are  under  its  authority,  in  order  that  every  mouth 
may  be  closed,  and  the  whole  world  become  liable  to  the  judge- 
ment of  God.     For  '  no  human  being  will  be  pronounced  right-     20 
eous  before  God '  as  the  result  of  obedience  to  Law  ;  for  it  is  Law 
that  shows  what  sin  is.     But  now,  quite  apart  from  Law,  the     21 
Divine  Righteousness  stands  revealed,  and  to  it  the  Law  and 
the  Prophets  bear  witness — the  Divine  Righteousness  which     22 
is  bestowed,  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  upon  all,  without 
distinction,  who  believe  in  him.     For  all  have  sinned,  and  all     23 
fall  short  of  God's  glorious  ideal,  but,  in  his  loving-kindness,     24 
are  being  freely  pronounced  righteous  through  the  deliverance 
found  in  Christ  Jesus.     For  God  set  him  before  the  world,  to     25 
be,  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood,  a  means  of  reconciliation 
through  faith.     And  this  God  did  to  prove  his  righteousness, 
and  because,  in  his  forbearance,  he  had  passed  over  the  sins 
that  men  had  previously  committed  ;   as  a  proof,  I  repeat,  at     26 
the  present  time,  of  his  own  righteousness,  that  he  might  be 
righteous  in  our  eyes,   and  might  pronounce  righteous  the 
man  who  takes  his  stand  on  faith  in  Jesus. 

What,   then,   becomes  of  our  boasting  ?     It   is   excluded.     27 
By  what  sort  of  Law  ?     A  Law  requiring  obedience  ?     No, 
a  Law  requiring   faith.      For  we   conclude   that  a   man   is     28 
pronounced   righteous  on  the   ground   of  faith,   quite   apart 
from  obedience  to  Law.     Or  can  it  be  that  God  is  the  God     29 
only  of  the  Jews  ?     Is  not  he  also  the  God  of  the  Gentiles  ? 
Yes,  of  the  Gentiles  also,  since  there  is  only  one  God,  and     30 
he  will  pronounce  those  who  are  circumcised  righteous  as 
the  result   of  faith,   and   also  those  who   are  uncircumcised 
on  their  showing  the  same  faith.       Do  we,  then,   use   this     31 
faith   to   abolish    Law  ?     Heaven  forbid !     No,   we  establish 
Law. 

10—18  ps.  14.  i,  3  ;   5.  9  ;   140.  3  ;   10.  7  ;  36.  i  ;   Isa.  59.  7—8. 
'•»  Ps.  143.  2. 


356  ROMANS,  4. 

Faith  the         What  then,  it  may  be  asked,  are  we  to  say     i    ' 
Ground  of    about  Abraham,  the  ancestor  of  our  nation  ?     If    2 
^aefo'rot'he"   ^e  was  pronounced  righteous  as  the  result  of 
coming  of    obedience,  then  he  has  something  to  boast  of. 
the  Law.     Yes,  but  not  before   God.      For  what  are  the    3 
words  of  Scripture  ? 

'  Abraham  had  faith  in  God,  and  his  faith  was  regarded  by 
God  as  righteousness.' 

Now  wages  are  regarded  as  due  to  the  man  who  works,  not     4 
as  a  favour,  but  as  a  debt ;    while,  as  for  the  man  who  does     5 
not  rely  upon  his  obedience,  but  has  faith  in  him  who  can  pro- 
nounce the  godless  righteous,  his  faith  is  regarded  by  God  as 
righteousness.     In  precisely  the  same  way  David  speaks  of    6 
the  blessing  pronounced  upon  the  man  who  is  regarded  by 
God  as  righteous  apart  from  actions — 

'  Blessed  are  those  whose  wrong-doings  have  been  forgiven  and      7 

over  whose  sins  a  veil  has  been  drawn  ! 
Blessed  the  man  whom  the  Lord  will  never  regard  as  sinful  ! '  8 

Is  this  blessing,  then,  pronounced  upon  the  circumcised  only     9 
or  upon  the  uncircumcised  as  well  ?     We  say  that — 

'  Abraham's  faith  was  regarded  by  God  as  righteousness.' 

Under  what  circumstances,  then,  did  this  take  place?   after     10 
his  circumcision  or  before  it  ?     Not  after,  but  before.     And  it     1 1 
was  as  a  sign  of  this  that  he  received  the  rite  of  circumcision 
— to  attest  the  righteousness  due  to  the  faith  of  an  uncircum- 
cised man — in  order  that  he  might  be  the  father  of  all  who 
have  faith  in  God  even  when  uncircumcised,  that  they  also 
may  be  regarded  by  God  as  righteous  ;    as  well  as  father  of    12 
the  circumcised — to  those  who  are  not  only  circumcised,  but 
who  also  follow  our  father  Abraham  in  that  faith  which  he  had 
while  still  uncircumcised. 

For  the  promise  that  he  should  inherit  the  world  did  not     13 
come   to   Abraham   or    his   descendants    through    Law,    but 
through  the  righteousness  due  to  faith.     If  those  who  take     14 
their  stand  on  Law  are  to  inherit  the  world,   then   faith  is 
robbed  of  its  meaning  and  the  promise  comes  to  nothing ! 
Law  entails  punishment ;  but,  where  no  Law  exists,  no  breach     15 
of  it  is  possible. 

That  is  why  all  is  made  to  depend  upon  faith,  that  all  may  16 
be  God's  gift,  and  in  order  that  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise 
may  be  made  certain  for  all  Abraham's  descendants — not  only 
for  those  who  take  their  stand  on  the  Law,  but  also  for  those 
who  take  their  stand  on  the  faith  of  Abraham.  (He  is  the 
Father  of  us  all ;  as  Scripture  says — '  I  have  made  thee  the  17 

»  Gen.  15.  6.    T-*  P«.  ja.  i— a.    »  Gen.  15.  6.    »  Gen.  17.  n.    V  Gen.  17.  5. 


ROMANS,  4-5.  357 

Father  of  many  nations.')     And  this  they  do  in  the  sight  of 
that  God  in  whom  Abraham  had  faith,  and  who  gives  life  to 
the  dead,  and  speaks  of  what  does  not  yet  exist  as  if  it  did. 
With  no  ground  for  hope,  Abraham,  sustained  by  hope,  put     18 
faith  in  God  ;    in  order  that,  in  fulfilment  of  the  words—'  So 
many  shall  thy  descendants  be,'  he  might  become  '  the  Father 
of  many  nations.'     Though  he  was  nearly  a  hundred  years     19 
old,  yet  his  faith  did  not  fail  him,  even  when  he  thought  of  his 
own  body,  then  utterly  worn  out,  and  remembered  that  Sarah 
was  past  bearing  children.      He  was  not  led  by  want  of  faith     20 
to  doubt  God's  promise.     On  the  contrary,  his  faith  gave  him     21 
strength  ;    and  he  praised  God,  in  the  firm  conviction  that 
what  God  has  promised  he  is  also  able  to  carry  out.      And     22 
therefore  his  faith  'was  regarded  as  righteousness.' 

Now   these  words — '  it  was   regarded  as   righteousness ' —     23 
were  not  written   with  reference   to  Abraham  only,  but  also     24 
with  reference  to  us.      Our  faith,    too,  will  be  regarded  by 
God  in  the  same  light,  if  we  have  faith  in  him  who  raised 
Jesus,  our  Lord,  from  the  dead  ;  for  Jesus  '  was  given  up  to     25 
death  to  atone  for  our  offences,'  and  was  raised  to  life  that  we 
might  be  pronounced  righteous. 

Therefore,  having  been  pronounced  righteous     i 
or  attaining  as  the  result  of  faith,  let  us  enjoy  peace  with  God 
the  Divine    through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.     It  is  through     2 

Bal'        him  that,  by  reason  of  our  faith,    we  have  ob- 
tained admission  to  that  place  in  God's  favour  in  which  we  now 
stand.    So  let  us  exult  in  our  hope  of  attaining  God's  glorious 
ideal.    And  not  only  that,  but  let  us  also  exult  in  our  troubles  ;     3 
for  we  know  that  trouble  develops  endurance,  and  endurance     4 
strength  of  character,  and  strength  of  character  hope,  and  that     5 
'hope  never  disappoints.'     For  the  love  of  God  has  filled  our 
hearts  through  the  Holy  Spirit  which  was  given  us  ;  seeing     6 
that,  while  we  were  still   powerless,   Christ,  in  God's  good 
time,  died  on  behalf  of  the  godless.     Even  for  an  upright  man     7 
scarcely  any  one  will  die.     For  a  really  good  man  perhaps 
some  one  might  even  dare  to  die.     But  God  puts  his  love  for    8 
us  beyond  all  doubt  by  the  fact  that  Christ  died  on  our  behalf 
while  we  were  still  sinners.     Much  more,  then,  now  that  we     9 
have  been  pronounced  righteous  by  virtue  of  the  shedding  of 
his  blood,  shall  we  be  saved  through  him  from  the  Wrath  of 
God.      For  if,  when  we  were  God's  enemies,  we  were  recon-     10 
ciled  to  him  through  the  death  of  his  Son,  much  more,  now 
that  we  have  become  reconciled,  shall  we  be  saved  by  virtue 
of  Christ's  Life.     And  not  only  that,  but  we  exult  in  God,     n 
through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  through  whom  we  have  now 
obtained  this  reconciliation. 

A8  Gen.  15.  5;    17.  5.      22— »  Gen.   15.  6.      25  \s^  ^   12  (Septuagint). 
5  Ps.  22.  5. 


358  ROMANS,  5-6. 

Therefore,   just  as   sin   came   into   the  world 
Divme  "ideal  through  one  man,  and  through  sin  came  death  ; 


recoverec 


••ed     so,  also,  death  spread  to  all  mankind,  because  all 
,o  Christ.  men   had   s;nned      Even  before  the  time  of  the     i 3 
Law  there  was  sin  in  the  world  ;  but  sin  cannot  be  charged 
against  a  man  where  no  Law  exists.     Yet,  from  Adam  to     14 
Moses,  Death  reigned  even  over  those  whose  sin  was  not  a 
breach  of  a  law,  as  Adam's  was.     And  Adam  foreshadows  the 
One  to  come.  But  there  is  a  contrast  between  Adam's     15 

Offence  and  God's  gracious  Gift.  For,  if  by  reason  of  the 
offence  of  the  one  man  the  whole  race  died,  far  more  were 
the  loving-kindness  of  God,  and  the  gift  given  in  the  loving- 
kindness  of  the  one  man,  Jesus  Christ,  lavished  upon  the 
whole  race.  There  is  a  contrast,  too,  between  the  gift  and  the  16 
results  of  the  one  man's  sin.  The  judgement,  which  followed 
upon  the  one  man's  sin,  resulted  in  condemnation,  but  God's 
gracious  Gift,  which  followed  upon  many  offences,  resulted  in 
a  decree  of  righteousness.  For  if,  by  reason  of  the  offence  of  17 
the  one  man,  Death  reigned  through  that  one  man,  far  more 
will  those,  upon  whom  God's  loving-kindness  and  his  gift 
of  righteousness  are  lavished,  find  Life,  and  reign  through 
the  one  man,  Jesus  Christ.  Briefly  then,  just  as  a  18 

single  offence  resulted  for  all  mankind  in  condemnation,  so, 
too,  a  single  decree  of  righteousness  resulted  for  all  man- 
kind in  that  declaration  of  righteousness  which  brings  Life. 
For,  as  through  the  disobedience  of  the  one  man  the  whole     19 
race  was  rendered  sinful,  so,  too,  through  the  obedience  of 
the  one,   the  whole  race  will  be  rendered  righteous.     Law     20 
was  introduced  in  order  that  offences  might  be  multiplied. 
But,  where  sins  were  multiplied,  the  loving-kindness  of  God 
was  lavished  the  more,  in  order  that,  just  as  Sin  had  reigned     21 
in  the  realm  of  Death,  so,  too,  might  Loving-kindness  reign 
through  righteousness,  and  result  in  Immortal  Life,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord. 


III. — CONSIDERATION  OF  DIFFICULTIES  ARISING  FROM  THIS 
TEACHING. 

What  are  we  to  say,  then  ?    Are  we  to  continue     i    Q 

Is  thin  Faith    .          .         .  .          .,      . •"  >-,      ,,      ,  i   •     j 

consistent    to  sin,  in  order  that  God  s  loving-kindness  may 

with  a       be   multiplied  ?      Heaven    forbid  !      We   became     2 
sinful  Lif«?    (jead  to  sjn>  amj  |1OW  can  We  go  on  living  in  it? 
Or  can  it  be  that  you  do  not  know  that  all  of  us,  who  were     3 
baptized  into  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  in  our  baptism  shared 
his  death  ?     Consequently,  through  sharing  his  death  in  our    4 
baptism,  we  were  buried  with  him  ;  that,  just  as  Christ  was 
raised    from    the  dead     by  a    manifestation  of  the    Father's 
power,  so  we  also  may  live  a  new  Life.     If  we  have  become 


ROMANS,  6—7.  359 

united  with  him  by  the  act  symbolic  of  his  death,  surely  we 
shall  also  become  united  with  him  by  the  act  symbolic  of  his 
resurrection.     We  recognize  the  truth  that  our  old  self  was     6 
crucified  with  Christ,  in  order  that  the  body,  the  stronghold  of 
Sin,  might  be  rendered  powerless,  so  that  we  should  no  longer 
be  slaves  to  Sin.     For  the  man  who  has  so  died  has  been  pro-    7 
nounced  righteous  and  released  from  Sin.     And  our  belief  is,     8 
that,  as  we  have  shared  Christ's  Death,  we  shall  also  share  his 
Life.     We  know,  indeed,  that  Christ,  having  once  risen  from     9 
the  dead,  will  not  die  again.     Death  has  power  over  him  no 
longer.     For  the  death  that  he  died  was  a  death  to  sin,  once     10 
and  for  all.     But  the  Life  that  he  now  lives,  he  lives  for  God. 
So  let  it  be  with  you — regard  yourselves  as  dead  to  sin,  but      1 1 
as  living  for  God,  through  union  with  Christ  Jesus. 

Therefore  do  not  let  Sin  reign  in  your  mortal  bodies  and     12 
compel  you  to  obey  its  cravings.     Do  not  offer  any  part  of    13 
your  bodies  to  Sin,  in  the  cause  of  unrighteousness,  but  once 
for  all  offer  yourselves  to  God  (as  those  who,   though  once 
dead,  now  have  Life),  and  devote  every  part  of  your  bodies  to 
the  cause  of  righteousness.     For  Sin  shall  not  lord  it  over     14 
you.    You  are  living  under  the  reign,  not  of  Law,  but  of  Love. 

What  follows,  then  ?     Are  we  to  sin  because  we  are  living     15 
under  the  reign  of  Love  and  not  of  Law  ?     Heaven  forbid  ! 
Surely  you  know  that,  when  you  offer  yourselves  as  servants,     16 
to  obey  any  one,  you  are  the  servants  of  the  person  whom  you 
obey,  whether  the  service  be  that  of  Sin  which  leads  to  Death, 
or  that  of  Duty  which  leads  to  Righteousness.    God  be  thanked     17 
that,  though  you  were  once  servants  of  Sin,  yet  you  learnt  to 
give  hearty  obedience  to  that  form  of  doctrine  under  which 
you  were  placed.     Set  free  from  the  control  of  Sin,  you  became     18 
servants   to    Righteousness.      I    can   but  speak  as    men   do     19 
because  of  the  weakness  of  your  earthly  nature.     Once  you 
offered  every  part  of  your  bodies  to  the  service  of  impurity, 
and  of  wickedness,  which  leads  to  further  wickedness.     Now, 
in  the  same  way,  offer  them  to  the  service  of  Righteousness, 
which  leads  to   holiness.     While    you   were  still  servants  of    20 
Sin,    you   were   free   as   regards    Righteousness.     But   what     21 
were  the  fruits  that  you  reaped  from  those  things  of  which 
you  are  now  ashamed  ?     For  the  end  of  such  things  is  Death. 
But  now  that  you  have  been  set  free  from  the  control  of  Sin,     22 
and  have  become  servants  to  God,  the  fruit  that  you  reap  is 
an  ever-increasing  holiness,  and  the  end  Immortal  Life.    The     23 
wages  of  Sin  are  Death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  Immortal  Life, 
through  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord. 

can  Law          Surely,  Brothers,  you  know  (for  I  am  speaking     i 
deliver  from  to  men  who  know  what  Law  means)  that  Law 
a  sinful  Life?has  power  over  a  man  only  as  long  as  he  lives. 
For  example,   by  law  a  married   woman   is  bound   to  her    2 


380  ROMANS,  7. 

husband  while  he  is  living  ;  but,  if  her  husband  dies,  she  is 
set  free  from  the  law  that  bound  her  to  him.     If,  then,  during     3 
her  husband's  lifetime,  she  unites  herself  to  another  man,  she 
will  be  called  an  adulteress  ;  but,  if  her  husband  dies,  the  law 
has   no   further  hold   on   her,    nor,    if  she   unites   herself  to 
another  man,  is  she  an  adulteress.     And  so  with  you,  my    4 
Brothers  ;  as  far  as  the  Law  was  concerned,  you  underwent 
death  in  the  crucified  body  of  the  Christ,  so  that  you  might  be 
united  to  another,  to  him  who  was  raised  from  the  dead,  in 
order  that  our  lives  might  bear  fruit  for  God.     When  we  were     5 
living  merely  earthly  lives,  our  sinful  passions,  aroused  by  the 
Law,  were  active  in  every  part  of  our  bodies,  with  the  result  that 
our  lives  bore  fruit  for  Death.    But  now  we  are  set  free  from  the     6 
Law,  because  we  are  dead  to  that  which  once  kept  us  under 
restraint ;   and  so  we  serve  under  new,  spiritual  conditions, 
and  not  under  old,  written  regulations. 

What  are  we  to  say,  then  ?     That  Law  and  sin  are  the  same     7 
thing?     Heaven  forbid!     On  the  contrary,  I  should  not  have 
learnt  what  sin  is,  had  not  it  been  for  Law.     If  the  Law  did 
not  say  '  Thou  shalt  not  covet,'  I  should  not  know  what  it  is  to 
covet.      But   sin    took   advantage   of  the   Commandment   to     8 
arouse  in  me  every  form  of  covetousness,  for  where  there  is  no 
consciousness  of  Law  sin  shows  no  sign  of  life.     There  was  a     9 
time  when  I  myself,  unconscious  of  Law,  was  alive  ;  but  when 
the  Commandment  was  brought  home  to  me,  sin  sprang  into 
life,    while    I — died  !     The  very  Commandment   that  should     10 
have   meant   Life    I    found   to   result   in    Death!      Sin   took     u 
advantage  of  the  Commandment  to  deceive  me,  and  used  it 
to   bring  about  my  Death.      And  so  the  Law  is  holy,  and     12 
each  Commandment  is  also  holy,  and  just,  and  good. 

Did,  then,  a  thing,  which  in  itself  was  good,  involve  Death  in     13 
my  case  ?    Heaven  forbid  !    It  was  sin  that  involved  Death  ;  so 
that,  by  its  use  of  what  I  regarded  as  good  to  bring  about  my 
Death,  its  true  nature  might  appear  ;  and  in  this  way  the  Com- 
mandment showed  how  intensely  sinful  sin  is.     We  know  that     14 
the  Law  is  spiritual,  but  I  am  earthly — sold  into  slavery  to  Sin. 
I  do  not  understand  my  own  actions.      For  I  am  so  far  from     15 
habitually  doing  what  I  want  to  do,  that  I  find  myself  doing 
the  very  thing  that  I  hate.     But  when  I  do  what  I  want  not     16 
to  do,   I  am  admitting  that  the  Law  is  right.  This     17 

being  so,  the  action  is  no  longer  my  own,  but  that  of  Sin 
which  is  within  me.     I  know  that  there  is  nothing  good  in  me     18 
— I  mean  in  my  earthly  nature.    For,  although  it  is  easy  for  me 
to  want  to  do  right,  to  act  rightly  is  not  easy.     I  fail  to  do  the     19 
good  thing  that  I  want  to  do,  but  the  bad  thing  that  I  want 
not  to  do — that  I  habitually  do.    But,  when  I  do  the  very  thing    20 
that  I  want  not  to  do,  the  action  is  no  longer  my  own,  but 

7  Exod.  30.  14,  17  ;  Dent.  5.  18,  31. 


ROMANS,  7—8.  361 

that  of  Sin  which  is  within  me.  This,  then,   is  the     21 

law  that  I  find — When  I  want  to  do  right,  wrong  presents 
itself!     At  heart  I  delight  in  the  Law  of  God  ;  but  throughout     22, 
my  body  I  see  a  different  law,  one  which  is  in  conflict  with  the 
law  accepted  by  my  reason,  and  which  endeavours  to  make 
me  a  prisoner  to  that  law  of  Sin  which  exists  throughout  my 
body.     Miserable  man  that  I  am  !     Who  will  deliver  me  from     24 
the  body  that  is  bringing  me  to  this  Death?     Thank  God,     25 
there  is  deliverance  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord  !      Well 
then,  for  myself,  with  my  reason  I  serve  the  Law  of  God,  but 
with  my  earthly  nature  the  Law  of  Sin. 

cod's  There  is,  therefore,  now  no  condemnation  for     i    J 

Deliverance    those  who  are  in  union  with  Christ  Jesus  ;    for     2 
thlchfi«t  h°    through  your  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  the  Law  of 
and  the       the  life-giving  Spirit  has  set  you  free  from  the 
Holy  spirit.    Law  of  sin  and  Death.     What  Law  could  not  do,     3 
in  so  far  as  our  earthly  nature  weakened  its  action,  God  did, 
by  sending  his  own  Son,  with  a  nature  resembling  our  sinful 
nature,  to  atone  for  sin.     He  condemned  sin  in  that  earthly 
nature,  so  that  the  requirements  of  the  Law  might  be  satisfied     4 
in  us  who  live  now  in  obedience,  not  to  our  earthly  nature,  but 
to  the  Spirit.    They  who  follow  their  earthly  nature  are  earthly-     5 
minded,  while  they  who  follow  the  Spirit  are  spiritually  minded. 
To  be  earthly-minded  means  Death,  to  be  spiritually  minded     6 
means  Life  and  Peace  ;  because  to  be  earthly-minded  is  to  be    7 
an  enemy  to  God,  for  such  a  mind  does  not  submit  to  the  Law 
of  God,  nor  indeed  can  it  do  so.     They  who  are  earthly  can-     8 
not  please  God.  You,  however,  are  not  earthly  but    9 

spiritual,  since  the  Spirit  of  God  lives  within  you.      Unless  a 
man  has  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  does  not  belong  to  Christ ; 
but,  if  Christ  is  within  you,  then,  though  the  body  is  dead  as  a     10 
consequence  of  sin,   the  spirit  is   Life  as  a  consequence  of 
righteousness.    And,  if  the  Spirit  of  him  who  raised  Jesus  from     n 
the  dead  lives  within  you,  he  who  raised  Christ  Jesus  from  the 
dead  will  give  Life  even  to  your  mortal  bodies,  through  his 
Spirit  living  within  you. 

So  then,  Brothers,  we  owe  nothing  to  our  earthly  nature,     12 
that  we  should  live  in  obedience  to  it.     If  you  live  in  obedience     13 
to  your  earthly  nature,  you  will  inevitably  die  ;  but  if,  by  the 
power  of  the  Spirit,  you  put  an  end  to  the  evil  habits  of  the 
body,  you  will  live.     All  who  are  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  God     14 
are  Sons  of  God.       For  you  did  not  receive  the  spirit  of  a     15 
slave,  to  fill  you  once  more  with  fear,  but  the  spirit  of  a  son 
which  leads  us  to  cry  'Abba,  Our  Father.'    The  Spirit  himself    16 
unites  with  our  spirits  in  bearing  witness  to  our  being  God's 
children,  and  if  children,  then  heirs — heirs  of  God,  and  joint-     17 
heirs  with  Christ,  since  we  share  Christ's  sufferings  in  order 
that  we  may  also  share  his  Glory. 

N* 


362  ROMANS,  8. 

I  do  not  count   the  sufferings  of  our  present  life  worthy     18 
of  mention  when   compared  with   the    Glory  that   is   to   be 
revealed  and  bestowed   upon  us.      All   Nature  awaits  with     19 
eager  expectation  the  appearing  of  the  Sons  of  God.     For     20 
Nature  was  made  subject  to  imperfection — not  by  its  own 
choice,  but  owing  to  him  who  made  it  so — yet  not  without     21 
the  hope  that  some  day  Nature,  also,  will  be  set  free  from 
enslavement  to  decay,  and  will  attain  to  the  freedom  which 
will  mark  the  Glory  of  the  Children  of  God.    We  know,  indeed,     22 
that  all  Nature  alike  has  been  groaning  in  the  pains  of  labour 
to  this  very  hour.     And  not  Nature  only ;  but  we  ourselves     23 
also,  though  we  have  already  a  first  gift  of  the  Spirit — we 
ourselves   are    inwardly  groaning,    while    we   eagerly  await 
our  full  adoption  as  Sons — the  redemption  of  our  bodies.     By     24 
our  hope  we  were  saved.    But  the  thing  hoped  for  is  no  longer 
an  object  of  hope  when  it  is  before  our  eyes  ;  for  who  hopes  for 
what  is  before  his  eyes  ?.    But,  when  we  hope  for  what  is  not     25 
before  our  eyes,  then  we  wait  for  it  with  patience. 

So,  also,  the  Spirit  supports  us  in  our  weakness.     We  do     26 
not  even  know  how  to  pray  as  we  should  ;    but  the  Spirit 
himself  pleads  for  us  in  sighs  that  can   find  no  utterance. 
Yet  he  who  searches  all  our  hearts  knows  what  the  Spirit's     27 
meaning  is,  because  the  pleadings  of  the  Spirit  for  Christ's 
People  are  in  accordance  with  his  will.      But  we  do  know     28 
that  God  causes  all  things  to  work  together  for  the  good 
of  those  who  love  him — those  who  have  received  the  Call  in 
accordance  with  his  purpose.     For  those  whom  God  chose     29 
from  the  first  he  also  destined  from  the  first  to  be  transformed 
into  likeness  to  his  Son,  so  that  his  Son  might  be  the  eldest 
among  many  Brothers.      And  those  whom  God  destined  for     30 
this  he  also  called  ;  and  those  whom  he  called  he  also  pro- 
nounced righteous  ;  and  those  whom  he  pronounced  righteous 
he  also  brought  to  Glory. 

What  are  we  to  say,  then,  in  the  light  of  all  this?     If  God     31 
is  on  our  side,  who  can  there  be  against  us  ?     God  did  not     32 
withhold  his  own  Son,  but  gave  him  up  on  behalf  of  us  all; 
will  he  not,  then,  with  him,  freely  give  us  all  things  ?     Who     33 
will  bring  a  charge  against  any  of  God's  People  ?      He  who 
pronounces  them  righteous  is  God  !   Who  is  there  to  condemn     34 
them  ?    He  who  died  for  us  is  Christ  Jesus  ! — or,  rather,  it  was 
he  who  was  raised  from  the  dead,  and  who  is  now  at  God's 
right  hand  and  is  even  pleading  on  our  behalf !     Who  is  there     35 
to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  the  Christ  ?     Will  trouble,  or 
difficulty,  or  persecution,  or  hunger,  or  nakedness,  or  danger, 
or  the  sword  ?     Scripture  says —  36 

'  For  thy  sake  we  are  being  killed  all  the  day  long-, 
We  are  regarded  as  sheep  to  be  slaughtered.' 

sa.  50.  8—9 ;  P».  no.  i.    3«  Pa.  44.  aa. 


ROMANS,  8—9.  363 

Yet  amidst  all  these  things  we  more  than  conquer  through  him     37 
who  loved  us  !     For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  Death,  nor    38 
Life,   nor  Angels,   nor  Archangels,  nor  the  Present,  nor  the 
Future,  nor   any  Powers,  nor   Height,    nor   Depth,  nor  any     39 
other  created    thing,  will  be  able  to  separate   us   from  the 
love  of  God  revealed  in  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord  ! 


IV. — THE  JEWS'  REJECTION  OF  THE  CHRIST. 
.     .       ..  ,         I    am    speaking:    the   truth   as   one   in   union     i    9 

The  Apostle's        .   ,      _,     .  r  j o 

Lament        with  Christ  ;    it  is  no  he  ;    and  my  conscience, 
over  Israel,    enlightened   by  the  Holy  Spirit,   bears  me  out 
when  I  say  that  there  is  a  great  weight  of  sorrow  upon  me,     2 
and  that  my  heart  is  never  free  from  pain.     I  could  wish  that    3 
I  were  myself  accursed  and  severed  from  the  Christ,  for  the 
sake  of  my  Brothers— my  own  countrymen.      For  they  are    4 
Israelites,  and  theirs  are  the  adoption  as  Sons,  the  visible 
Presence,  the  Covenants,  the  revealed  Law,  the  Temple  wor- 
ship, and  the  Promises.     They  are  descended  from  the  Patri-     5 
archs  ;  and,  as  far  as  his  human  nature  was  concerned,  from 
them  came  the  Christ — he  who  is  supreme  overall  things,  God 
for  ever  blessed.     Amen.  Not  that  God's  Word  has     6 

failed.      For  it  is  not  all  who  are  descended  from 
TO* Israels*    Israel   who   are    true    Israelites ;     nor,    because 
Rejection     they  are  Abraham's  descendants,  are  they  all  his     7 
by  cod.       Children  ;  but— 

'  It  is  Isaac's  children  who  will  be  called  thy  descendants.' 

This  means   that  it  is  not  the  children  born  in  the  course     8 
of  nature   who   are   God's   Children,  but   it   is   the  children 
born  in  fulfilment  of  the  Promise  who  are  to  be  regarded  as 
Abraham's  descendants.      For  these  words  are  the  words  of  a    9 
promise — 

'  About  this  time  I  will  come,  and  Sarah  shall  have  a  son.' 

Nor  is  that  all.     There  is  also  the  case  of  Rebecca,  when  she     10 
was  about  to  bear  children  to  our  ancestor  Isaac.     For  in  order     1 1 
that  the  purpose  of  God,  working  through  selection,  might  not 
fail — a  selection  depending,  not  on  obedience,  but  on  his  Call — 
Rebecca  was  told,  before  her  children  were  born  and  before     12 
they  had  done  anything  either  right  or  wrong,  that  '  the  elder 
would  be  a  servant  to  the  younger.'     The  words  of  Scripture     13 
are — 

'  I  loved  Jacob,  but  I  hated  Esau.' 
7  Gen.  ai.  12.    9  Gen.  18.  10.    12  Gen.  25.  23.    i»  Mai.  i.  4—3. 


364  ROMANS,  9. 

What  are  we  to  say,  then?  Is  God   guilty  of  injustice?     14 
Heaven  forbid  !     For  his  words  to  Moses  are —  15 

'  I  will  take  pity  on  whom  I  take  pity,  and  be  merciful  jto 
whom  I  am  merciful.' 

So,  then,  all  depends,  not  on  human  wishes  or  human  efforts,     16 
but  on  God's  mercy.    In  Scripture,  again,  it  is  said  to  Pharaoh —     17 

'  It  was  for  this  very  purpose  that  I  raised  thee  to  the  throne, 
to  show  my  power  by  my  dealing's  with  thee,  and  to  make  my 
name  known  throughout  the  world.' 

So,  then,  where  God  wills,  he  takes  pity,  and  where  he  wills,     18 
he  hardens  the  heart. 

Perhaps  you  will  say  to  me — '  How  can  any  one  still   be     19 
blamed  ?     For  who  withstands  his  purpose  ?  '     I  might  rather     20 
ask  '  Who  are  you  who  are  arguing  with  God  ?  '     Does  a  thing 
which  a  man  has  moulded  say  to  him  who  has  moulded  it 
'Why   did  you  make  me   like   this?'     Has  not   the   potter     21 
absolute  power  over  his  clay,  so  that  out  of  the  same  lump  he 
makes  one  thing  for  better,  and  another  for  common,  use  ? 
And  what  if  God,  intending  to  reveal  his  displeasure  and  make     22 
his  power  known,  bore  most  patiently  with  the  objects  of  his 
displeasure,  though  they  were  fit  only  to  be  destroyed,  so  as     23 
to   make  known   his   surpassing   glory  in  dealing  with  the 
objects  of  his  mercy,  whom  he  prepared  beforehand  for  glory, 
and  whom  he  called — even  us — not  only  from  among  the  Jews     24 
but  from  among  the  Gentiles  also  !     This,   indeed,   is  what     25 
he  says  in  the  Book  of  Hosea — 

'  I  will  call  those  my  People  who  were  not  my  People, 

And  her  my  beloved  who  was  not  beloved. 

And  in  the  very  'place  where  it  was  said  to  them—  26 

"  Ye  are  not  my  People  ", 

They  shall  be  called  Sons  of  the  Living  God.' 

And  Isaiah  cries  aloud  over  Israel —  27 

'  Though  the  Sons  of  Israel  are  like  the  sand  of  tne  sea  in 
number,  only  a  remnant  of  them  shall  escape  !     For  the  Lord          28 
will  execute  his  sentence  upon  the  world,  fully  and  without 
delay.' 

It  is  as  Isaiah  foretold —  29 

'  Had  not  the  Lord  of  Hosts  spared  some  few  of  our  race  to  us, 
We  should  have  become  like  Sodom  and  been  made  to  resemble 

Gomorrah.' 

The  cause         What  are  we  to  say,  then  ?   Why,  that  Gentiles,     30 
or  uraet'«      who  were  not  in  search  of  righteousness,  secured  it 
Rejection.      — a  righteousness  which  was  the  result  of  faith  ; 
while  Israel,  which  was  in  search  of  a  Law  which  would  ensure     31 

18  Exod.  33.  19.  1?  Exod.  9.  16.  '<•  Exod.  7.  3  ;  9.  12  ;  14.  4,  17.  w  Isa.  29.  «6; 
45-  9-  21  Jcr.  j«.  6 ;  Isa.  29.  16 ;  45.  9 ;  Wisd.  of  Sol.  15.  7.  »  Jer.  50.  35 ; 
Isa.  13.  5,6  (Hebrew);-  Isa.  54.  10.  25  Hos.  a.  23.  * — 2s  Hos.  i.  10; 
Isa.  10.  32,  93.  »  Isa.  i'.  9. 


ROMANS,  9-10.  365 

righteousness,  failed  to  discover  one.     And  why?     Because     32 
they  looked  to  obedience,  and  not  to  faith,  to  secure  it.     They 
stumbled  over  '  the  Stumbling-block.'    As  Scripture  says —         33 

'  See,   I  place  a  Stumbling-block  in  Zion — a  Rock  which  shall 

prove  a  hindrance  ; 
And  he  who  believes  in  him  shall  have  no  cause  for  shame.' 

Brothers,  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  my  People     i 
is  for  their  Salvation.     I  can  testify  that  they  are  zealous  for  the     2 
honour  of  God  ;    but  they  are   not  guided  by   true  insight, 
for,  in  their  ignorance  of  the  Divine  Righteousness,  and  in     3 
their  eagerness  to  set  up  a  righteousness  of  their  own,  they 
refused  to  accept  with  submission  the  Divine  Righteousness. 
For  Christ  has  brought  Law  to  an  end,  so  that  righteousness     4 
may  be   obtained   by  every  one  who  believes  in  him.      For     5 
Moses  writes  that,  as  for  the  righteousness  which  results  from 
Law,  'those  who  practise  it  will  find  Life  through  it.'     But     6 
the  righteousness  which  results  from  faith  finds  expression  in 
these  words — '  Do  not  say  to  yourself  "Who  will  go  up  into 
heaven ?" '—which  means  to  bring  Christ  down — 'or  "Who     7 
will  go  down  into  the  depths  below  ?  "  ' — which  means  to  bring 
Christ  up  from  the  dead.      No,  but  what  does  it  say  ?     '  The     8 
Message  is  near  thee  ;  it  is  on  thy  lips  and  in  thy  heart ' — which 
means  '  The  Message  of  Faith '   which  we  proclaim.      For,     9 
if  with  your  lips  you  acknowledge  the  truth  of  the  Message 
that  JESUS  IS  LORD,  and  believe  in  your  heart  that  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  you  shall  be  saved.     For  with  their     10 
hearts  men  believe  and  so  attain  to  righteousness,  while  with 
their  lips  they  make  their  Profession  of  Faith  and  so  find 
Salvation.     As  the  passage  of  Scripture  'says —  1 1 

'  No  one  who   believes   in  him  shall   have  any  cause  for 
shame.' 

For  no  distinction  is  made  between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek,  for     12 
all  have  the  same  Lord,  and  he  is  bountiful  to  all  who  invoke 
'him.     For  'every  one  who  invokes  the  Name  of  the  Lord  shall     13 
be  saved.'     But  how,  it  may  be  asked,  are  they  to  invoke  one     14 
in  whom  they  have  not  learnt  to  believe  ?     And  how  are  they 
to  believe  in  one  whose  words  they  have  not  heard  ?  And  how 
are  they  to  hear  his  words  unless  some  one  proclaims  him  ? 
And  how  are  men  to  proclaim  him  unless  they  are  sent  as  his     15 
messengers  ?     As  Scripture  says — 

'  How   beautiful   are   the   feet   of    those   who   bring   good 
news ! ' 

Still,  it  may  be  said,  ever}7  one  did  not  give  heed  to  the  Good     16 
Ne  vs.     No,  for  Isaiah  asks — 

'  Lord,  who  has  believed  our  teaching  ? ' 

2-«3  Isa.  8.  14;   28.  16.    o  Lev.  ri.  s.     »-9  Deut.  50.  12—14.    u  Isa-  &  »6- 
13  Joel  2.  32.     15  Isa.  52.  7  (Hebrew).     W  Isa.  53.  i. 


366  ROMANS,  1O-11. 

And  so,  we  gather,  faith  is  a  result  of  teaching-,  and  the  17 
teaching  comes  in  the  Message  of  Christ.  But  I  ask  '  Is  it  18 
possible  that  men  have  never  heard  ? '  No,  indeed,  for — 

'  Their  voices  spread  through  all  the  earth, 
And  their  Message  to  the  very  ends  of  the  world.' 

But  again  I  ask  '  Did  not  the  people  of  Israel  understand  ? '     19 
First  there  is  Moses,  who  says — 

'  I,  the  Lord,  will  stir  you  to  rivalry  with  a  nation  which 

is  no  nation  ; 
Against  an  undiscerning  nation  I  will  arouse  your  anger.' 

And  Isaiah  says  boldly —  20 

1 1  was  found  by  those  who  were  not  seeking  me  ; 
I  made  myself  known  to  those  who  were  not  inquiring  of  me.' 

But  of  the  people  of  Israel  he  says —  21 

4  All  day  long  I  have  stretched  out  my  hands  to  a  people 
who  disobey  and  contradict.' 

The  merciful      I  ask,  then,  '  Has  God  rejected  his  People  ? '     i 
Pt|»rae*Jn    Heaven  forbid  !     For  I  myself  am  an  Israelite,  a 
Rejection,    descendant  of  Abraham,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 
God  has  not  rejected  his  People,  whom   he  chose  from  the     2 
first.     Have  you  forgotten  the  words  of  Scripture  in  the  story 
of  Elijah — how  he  appeals  to  God  against  Israel  ? 

1  Lord,   they  have   killed   thy  Prophets,  they  have   pulled         3 
down  thy  altars,  and  I  only  am  left ;  and  now  they  are  eager 
to  take  my  life.' 

But  what  was  the  divine  response  ?  4 

'  I  have  kept   for   myself  seven  thousand  men  who  have 
never  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal.' 

And  so  in  our  own  time,  too,  there  is  to  be  found  a  remnant  of    5 
our  nation  selected  by  God  in  love.     But  if  in  love,  then  no     6 
longer  as  a  result  of  obedience.     Otherwise  love  would  cease 
to  be  love.     What  follows  from  this  ?     Why,  that  Israel  as  a     7 
nation  failed  to  secure  what  it  was  seeking,  while  those  whom 
God    selected    did    secure    it.      The   rest  grew  callous ;    as    8 
Scripture  says — 

4  God  has  given  them  a  deadness  of  mind — eyes  that  are 

not  to  see  and  ears  that  are  not  to  hear — and  it  is  so  to  this 

very  day.' 

David,  too,  says —  9 

4  May  their  feasts  prove  a  snare  and  a  trap  to  them — 

A  hindrance  and  a  retribution  ; 

May  their  eyes  be  darkened,  so  that  they  cannot  see  ;  10 

And  do  thou  always  make  their  backs  to  bend.' 

M  P*.  19.  4.    1»  Deut.  3*.  ai.    30-31  Isa.  65.  i— a.    1-2  Pa.  94.  14  ;  i  Sam.  la.  aa. 
*  i  King»  19.  10.     *  i  Kings  19.  18.    8  Isa.  39.  10  ;  Deut.  39.  4.    *— 10  Ps.  69.  aa,  33. 


ROMANS,  11.  367 

I  ask  then — '  Was  their  stumbling  to  result  in  their  fall  ? '     1 1 
Heaven  forbid  !     On  the  contrary,  through  their  falling  away 
Salvation  has  reached  the  Gentiles,  to  stir  the  rivalry  of  Israel. 
And,  if  their  falling  away  has  enriched  the  world,  and  their     12 
failure  has  enriched  the  Gentiles,  how  much  more  will  result 
from  their  full  restoration  ! 

But   I   am   speaking   to  you  who   were   Gentiles.     Being     13 
myself  an  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  I  exalt  my  office,  in  the  hope     14 
that  I  may  stir  my  countrymen  to  rivalry,  and  so  save  some 
of  them.  For,  if  their  being  cast  aside  has  meant  the  reconcilia-     15 
tion  of  the  world,  what  will  their  reception  mean,  but  Life 
from  the  dead  ?     If  the  first  handful  of  dough  is  holy,  so  is  the     16 
whole  mass  ;  and  if  the  root  is  holy,  so  are  the  branches. 

Some,  however,  of  the  branches  were  broken  off,  and  you,     17 
who  were  only  a  wild  olive,  were  grafted  in  among  them,  and 
came  to  share  with  them  the  root  which  is  the  source  of  the 
richness  of  the  cultivated  olive.     Yet  do  not  exult  over  the     18 
other  branches.     But,  if  you  do  exult  over  them,  remember 
that  you  do  not  support  the  root,  but  that  the  root  supports 
you.     But  branches,  you  will  say,  were  broken  off,  so  that  I     19 
might  be  grafted  in.     True  ;  it  was  because  of  their  want  of    20 
faith  that  they  were  broken  off,  and  it  is  because  of  your 
faith  that  you  are  standing.      Do  not  think  too  highly  of 
yourself,  but  beware.      For,  if  God  did  not  spare  the  natural     21 
branches,   neither  will    he  spare  you.      See,  then,  both  the     22 
goodness  and  the  severity  of  God — his  severity  towards  those 
who  fell,  and  his  goodness  towards  you,  provided  that  you 
continue  to  confide  in  that  goodness  ;  otherwise  you,  also,  will 
be  cut  off.     And  they,  too,  if  they  do  not  continue  in  their     23 
unbelief,  will  be  grafted  in  ;  for  God  has  it  in  his  power  to 
graft  them  in  again.      If  you  were  cut  off  from  your  natural     24 
stock — a  wild  olive — and  were  grafted,  contrary  to  the  course 
of  nature,  upon  a  good  olive,  much  more  will  they — the  natural 
branches — be  grafted  back  into  their  parent  tree. 

Brothers,  for  fear  that  you  should  think  too  highly  of  your-     25 
selves,  1  want  you  to  recognize  the  truth,  hitherto  hidden,  that 
the  callousness  which  has  come  over  Israel  is  only  partial,  and 
will   continue   only   till   the   whole   Gentile   world   has   been 
gathered  in.     And  then  all  Israel  shall  be  saved.     As  Scripture     26 
says — 

'  From  Zion  will  come  the  Deliverer  ; 

He  will  banish  ungodliness  from  Jacob. 

And  they  shall  see  the  fulfilment  of  my  Covenant,  27 

When  I  have  taken  away  their  sins.' 

From  the  stand-point  of  the  Good  News,  the  Jews  are  God's     28 
enemies  on  your  account ;  but  from  the  stand-point  of  God's 
selection,  they  are  dear  to  him  on  account  of  the  Patriarchs. 

11  Deut.  32.  ai.     26—27  Isa.  ^g.  20)  al  ;  37.  ^ 


368  ROMANS,  11-12. 

For  God  never  regrets  his  gifts  or  his  Call.     Just  as  you  at     29, 
one  time  were  disobedient  to  him,  but  have  now  found  mercy 
in   the  day  of  their  disobedience  ;    so,   too,   they  have    now     31 
become  disobedient  in  your  day  of  mercy,  in  order  that  they 
also  in  their  turn  may  now  find  mercy.     For  God  has  given     32 
all  alike  over  to  disobedience,  that  to  all  alike  he  may  show 
mercy.  Oh  !  the  unfathomable  wisdom  and  knowledge     33 

of  God  !     How  inscrutable  are  his  judgements,  how  untrace- 
able  his  ways  !     Yes — 
'  Who  has  ever  comprehended  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?     Who  has     34 

ever  become  his  counsellor? 
Or  who  has  first  given  to  him,  so  that  he  may  claim  a  recompense  ? '      35 

For  all   things  are  from  him,  through   him,   and   for   him.     36 
And  to  him  be  all  glory  for  ever  and  ever  !     Amen. 

V. — ADVICE  UPON  THE  DAILY  LIFE  OF  CHRISTIANS. 

On  Christian       I  entreat  you,  then,  Brothers,  by  the  mercies  of    i   J 

Sacrifice.  God,  to  offer  your  bodies  as  a  living  and  holy 
sacrifice,  acceptable  to  God,  for  this  is  your  rational  worship. 
Do  not  conform  to  the  fashion  of  this  world  ;  but  be  trans-  2 
formed  by  the  complete  change  that  has  come  over  your 
minds,  so  that  you  may  discern  what  God's  will  is — all  that 
is  good,  acceptable,  and  perfect. 

on  Christian      In  fulfilment  of  the  charge  with  which  I  have     3 
Membership,  been  entrusted,    I  bid  every   one   of  you  not   to 
think  more  highly  of  himself  than  he  ought  to  think,  but  to 
think  till  he  learns  to  think  soberly — in  accordance  with  the 
measure  of  faith  that  God  has  allotted  to  each.     For,  just  as     4 
in  the    human   body  there   is  a   union   of  many  parts,    and 
each    part   has   its   own   function,    so   we,    by  our   union   in     5 
Christ,    many    though   we    are,    form    but    one    body,    and 
on  Christian  individually  we  are  related  one  to  another  as  its 

Duties.       parts.  Since  our  gifts  differ  in  accordance     6 

with  the  particular  charge  entrusted  to  us,  if  our  gift  is  to 
preach,  let  our  preaching  correspond  to  our  faith  ;  if  it  is  to     7 
minister  to  others,  let  us   devote  ourselves  to  our  ministry  ; 
the  teacher  to  his  teaching,  the  speaker  to  his  exhortation.     8 
Let  the  man  who  gives  in  charity  do  so  with  a  generous  heart ; 
let    him    who    is    in    authority   exercise   due   diligence ;    let 
him   who  shows  kindness  do   so   in   a   cheerful  spirit.      Let    9 
your  love  be  sincere.     Hate  the  wrong  ;    cling  to  the  right. 
In  brotherly  love,  be  affectionate  to  one  another  ;    in  showing     10 
respect,  set  an  example  of  deference  to  one  another ;    never     1 1 
flagging   in   zeal  ;    fervent   in   spirit ;    serving    the    Master ; 
.rejoicing  in  your  hope ;    stedfast   under    persecution ;    per-     12 

M— *>  Iita.  40.  13,  14. 


ROMANS,  12—13.  369 

severing  in  prayer ;   relieving  the  wants  of  Christ's  People ;     13 
devoted  to   hospitality.      Bless   your   persecutors — bless   and     14 
never  curse.     Rejoice  with  those  w^~    re  rejoicing,  and  weep     15 
with  those  who  are  weeping      ^L  me  same  spirit  of  sympathy     16 
animate  you  all,  not  a  spirit  of  pride  ;    be  glad  to  associate 
with    the   lowly.      Do  not   think   too   highly   of  yourselves. 
Never  return  injury  for  injury.     Aim  at  doing  what  all  men     17 
will  recognize  as  honourable.       If  it  is  possible,  as   far  as     18 
rests  with  you,  live  peaceably  with  every  one.     Never  avenge     19 
yourselves,  dear  friends,  but  make  way  for  the  Wrath  of  God  ; 
for  Scripture  declares — 

' "  It  is  for  me  to  avenge,  I  will  requite,"  says  the  Lord.' 
Rather —  20 

'  If  your  enemy  is  hungry,  feed  him  ;  if  he  is  thirsty,  give 
him  to  drink.  By  doing  this  you  will  heap  coals  of  fire  upon 
his  head.' 

Never  be  conquered  by  evil,  but  conquer  evil  with  good.  21 

Let  every  one  obey  the  supreme  Authorities,     i 

On  Obedience   _,  .       •>        .  .   J  '  ,  ...      ,-,-,. 

to  the         ror  no  Authority  exists  except  by  the  will  ot  God, 
Authorities.  anc}  the  existing  Authorities  have  been  appointed 
by  God.     Therefore  he  who  sets  himself  against  the  Authori-     2 
ties   is   resisting  God's  appointment,   and    those  who   resist 
will  bring  a  judgement  upon  themselves.       A  good   action     3 
has  nothing  to  fear  from  Rulers ;  a  bad  action  has.     Do  you 
want  to  have  no  reason  to  fear  the  Authorities  ?     Then  do 
what  is  good,  and  you  will  win  their  praise.     For  they  are     4 
God's  servants  appointed  for  your  good.     But,  if  you  do  what 
is  wrong,  you  may  well  be  afraid  ;  for  the  sword  they  carry  is 
not  without  meaning  !     They  are  God's  servants  to  inflict  his 
punishments  on  those  who  do  wrong.     You  are  bound,  there-     5 
fore,  to  obey,  not  only  through  fear  of  God's  punishments,  but 
also  as  a  matter  of  conscience.    This,  too,  is  the  reason  for  your    6 
paying  taxes  ;  for  the  officials  are  God's  officers,  devoting  them- 
selves to  this  special  work.     In  all  cases  pay  what  is  due  from     7 
you — tribute  where  tribute  is  due,  taxes  where  taxes  are  due, 
respect  where  respect  is  due,  and  honour  where  honour  is  due. 

On  Owe  nothing  to  any  one  except  brotherly  love  ;     8 

Brotherly     for  he   who    loves    his  fellow  men  has  satisfied 

Love.         the  Law.     The  commandments,  '  Thou  shalt  not     9 
commit  adultery,  Thou  shalt  not  kill,  Thou  shalt  not  steal, 
Thou   shalt   not   covet,'  and  whatever  other  commandment 
there  is,  are  all  summed  up  in  the  words — 

'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thou  dost  thyself.' 

Love  never  wrongs  a  neighbour.     Therefore  Love  fully  satisfies     10 
the  Law. 

16  Prov.  3.  7.      17  Prov.  3.  4  (Septuagint  version).      19  Deut.  32.  35  (Hebrew). 
*>  Prov.  35.  21,  23.     9  Hxod.  20.  13,  17 ;  Deut.  5.  17,  21 ;  Lev.  19.  18. 


370  ROMANS,  13—14. 

This  I  say,  because  you  know  the  crisis  that     n 
the  Approach  we  have  reached,  for  the  time  has  already  come 
of  The  Day.1  for  yOu   to   rouse   yourselves   from   sleep;     our 
Salvation  is  nearer  now  than  when  we  accepted  the  Faith. 
The  night  is  almost  gone  ;  the  day  is  near.     Therefore  let  us     12 
have  done  with  the  deeds  of  Darkness,  and  arm  ourselves 
with  the  weapons  of  Light.     Being  in  the  light  of  Day,  let  us     13 
live  becomingly,  not  in  revelry  and  drunkenness,  not  in  lust 
and  licentiousness,  not   in   quarrelling  and  jealousy.      No  !     14 
Arm  yourselves  with    the    spirit   of  the  Lord  Jesus   Christ, 
and  spend  no  thought  on  your  earthly  nature,  to  satisfy  its 
cravings. 

As  for  those  whose  faith  is  weak,  always  receive     i 
Consideration  them  as  friends,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  pass- 

tor  the        ing  judgement   on  their  scruples.     One  man's     2 
Scrupulous.    faith  permits  of  his  eating  food  of  all  kinds,  while 
another  whose  faith  is  weak  eats  only  vegetable  food.    The  man     3 
who  eats  meat  must  not  despise  the  man  who  abstains  from 
it ;   nor  must  the  man  who  abstains  from  eating  meat  pass 
judgement  on  the  one  who  eats  it,  for  God  himself  has  received 
him.     Who  are  you,  that  you  should  pass  judgement  on  the     4 
servant  of  another  ?     His  standing  or  falling  concerns  his  own 
master.     And  stand  he  will,  for  his  Master  can  enable  him  to 
stand.     Again,  one  man  considers  some  days  to  be  more  sacred     5 
than  others,  while  another  considers  all  days  to  be  alike.     Every 
one  ought  to  be  fully  convinced  in  his  own  mind.     He  who     6 
observes  a  day,  observes   it  to   the    Master's   honour.      He, 
again,  who  eats  meat  eats  it  to  the  Master's  honour,  for  he 
gives  thanks  to  God  ;  while  he  who  abstains  from  it  abstains 
from  it  to  the  Master's   honour,  and  also  gives  thanks  to 
God.  There  is  not  one  of  us  whose  life  concerns  him-     7 

self  alone,  and  not  one  of  us  whose  death  concerns  himself 
alone  ;    for,  if  we  live,  our  life  is  for  the  Master,  and,  if  we     8 
die,  our  death  is  for  the  Master.      Whether,  then,  we  live  or 
die  we  belong  to  the  Master.     The  very  purpose  for  which     9 
Christ  died  and  came  back  to  life  was  this — that  he  might  be 
Lord  over  both  the  dead  and  the  living.  I  would  ask     10 

the  one  man  '  Why  do  you  judge  your  Brother  ?  '   And  I  would 
ask  the  other  '  Why  do  you  despise  your  Brother  ?  '     For  we 
shall  all  stand  before  the  Bar  of  God.     For  Scripture  says —        n 
'  "  As  surely  as  I  live,"  says  the  Lord,  "  every  knee  shall  bend 

before  me ; 
And  every  tongue  shall  make  acknowledgement  to  God."' 

So,  then,  each  one  of  us  will  have  to  render  account  of  himself    12 
to  God. 

Let  us,  then,  cease  to  judge  one  another.     Rather  let  this     13 
be  your  resolve — never  to  place  a  stumbling-block  or  an  obstacle 

11  Isa.  45.  23. 


ROMANS,  14-15.  371 

in  a  Brother's  way.     Through  my  union  with  the  Lord  Jesus,     14 
I  know  and  am  persuaded  that  nothing  is  'defiling  in  itself.' 
A  thing  is   '  defiling '  only  to  him  who  holds  it   to   be  so. 
If,  for  the  sake  of  what  you  eat,  you  wound  your  Brother's     15 
feelings,  your  life  has  ceased  to  be  ruled  by  love.     Do  not, 
by  what  you  eat,  ruin  a  man  for  whom  Christ  died  !      Do     16 
not  let  what  is  right  for  you  become  a  matter  of  reproach. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  God  does  not  consist  of  eating  and  drink-     17 
ing,  but  of  righteousness  and  peace  and  gladness  through  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     He  who  serves  the  Christ  in     18 
this  way  pleases  God,  and  wins  the  approval  of  his  fellow 
'  men.     Therefore  our  efforts  should  be  directed  towards  all     19 
that  makes  for  peace  and  the  mutual  building  up  of  character. 
Do  not  undo  God's  work  for  the  sake  of  what  you  eat.     Though     20 
everything  is  'clean,'  yet,  if  a  man  eats  so  as  to  put  a  stumbling- 
block  in  the  way  of  others,  he  does  wrong.     The  right  course     21 
is  to  abstain  from  meat  or  wine  or,  indeed,  anything  that  is  a 
stumbling-block  to  your  Brother.     As  for  yourself — keep  this     22 
faith  of  yours  to  yourself,  as  in  the  presence  of  God.     Happy 
is  he  who  never  has  to  condemn  himself  in  regard  to  the  very 
thing  which  he  thinks  right !     He,  however,  who  has  mis-     23 
givings  stands  condemned  if  he  still  eats,  because  his  doing 
so  is  not  the  result  of  faith. .    And  anything  not  done  as  the 
result  of  faith  is  a  sin. 

We,  the  strong,  ought  to  take  on  our  own  shoulders  the     i 
weaknesses  of  those  who  are  not  strong,  and   not   merely 
to  please  ourselves.      Let  each  of  us  please  his   neighbour     2 
for  his  neighbour's  good,  to  help  in  the  building  up  of  his 
character.     Even  the  Christ  did  not  please  himself !     On  the     3 
contrary,  as  Scripture  says  of  him — 

'  The  reproaches  of  those  who  were  reproaching1  thee  fell 
upon  me.' 

Whatever   was  written   in   the   Scriptures  in  days  gone  by    4 
was  written  for  our  instruction,  so  that,  through  patient  en- 
durance, and  through   the  encouragement  drawn  from  the 
Scriptures,  we  might  hold  fast  to  our  hope.     And  may  God,     5 
the  giver  of  this  patience  and  this  encouragement,  grant  you 
to  be  united  in  sympathy  in  Christ,  so  that  with  one  heart  and     6 
one  voice  you  may  praise  the  God  and  Father  of  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord. 

Therefore  always  receive  one  another  as  friends,     7 
the  R^eption  just  as  tne  Christ  himself  received  us,  to  the  glory 

of  the        of  God.     For  I  tell  you  that  Christ,  in  vindication     8 
Gentiles.      of  GOC}'S  truthfulness,  has  become  a  minister  of 
the  Covenant  of  Circumcision,  so  that  he  may  fulfil  the  promises 

3  Ps.  69.  9. 


372  ROMANS,  15. 

made  to  our  ancestors,  and  that  the  Gentiles  also  may  praise    9 
God  for  his  mercy.     As  Scripture  says — 

4  Therefore  will  I  make  acknowledgement  to  thee 

among-  the  Gentile 
And  sing  in  honour  of  thy  Name.' 

And  again  it  says —  10 

'  Rejoice,  ye  Gentiles,  with  God's  People.' 

And  yet  again —  1 1 

'  Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  Gentiles, 
And  let  all  Peoples  sing  his  praises.' 

Again,  Isaiah  says —  12 

'  There  shall  be  a  Scion  of  the  house  of  Jesse, 
One  who  is  to  arise  to  rule  the  Gentiles  ; 
On  him  shall  the  Gentiles  rest  their  hopes.' 

May  God,  who  inspires  our  hope,  grant  you  perfect  happiness     13 
and  peace  in  your  faith,  till  you  are  filled  with  this  hope  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I  am  persuaded,  my  Brothers — yes,  I  Paul,  with  regard  to     14 
you — that  you  are  yourselves  full  of  kindness,  furnished  with 
all  Christian  learning,  and  well  able  to  give  advice  to  one 
another.     But  in  parts  of  this  letter  I  have  expressed  myself     15 
somewhat  boldly — by   way  of  refreshing  your  memories — 
because  of  the  charge  with  which  God  has  entrusted  me,  that     16 
I  should  be  a  minister  of  Christ  Jesus  to  go  to  the  Gentiles — 
that  I  should  act  as  a  priest  of  God's  Good  News,  so  that 
the  offering  up  of  the  Gentiles  may  be  an  acceptable  sacri- 
fice, consecrated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     It  is,  then,  through  my     17 
union  with  Christ  Jesus  that  I  have  a  proud  confidence  in  my 
work  for  God.     For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  anything  but     18 
what  Christ  has  done  through  me  to  win  the  obedience  of 
the  Gentiles — by  my  words  and  actions,  through  the  power     19 
displayed  in  signs  and  marvels,  and  through  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.     And  so,  starting  from  Jerusalem  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood, and  going  as  far  as  Illyria,  I  have  told  in  full  the 
Good  News  of  the  Christ  ;  yet  always  with  the  ambition  to  tell     20 
the  Good  News  where  Christ's  name  had  not  previously  been 
heard,  so  as  to  avoid  building  upon  another  man's  foundations. 
But  as  Scripture  says —  21 

'  They  to  whom  he  had  never  been  proclaimed  shall  see  ; 
And  they  who  have  never  heard  shall  understand  ! ' 

VI. — CONCLUSION. 

p«r«onai         That  is  why  I  have  so  often  been  prevented  from     22 
Plan*.       coming  to  you.     But  now  there  are  n<9  further     23 
openings  for  me  in  these  parts,  and  I  have  for  several  years  been 
9  P».  18.  49.    10  Deut.  33.  43.    "  P».  117.  «.    12  Isa.  u.  10.    a  Isa.  $a.  15. 


ROMANS,  15-16.  373 

longing  to  come  to  you  whenever  I  may  be  going  to  Spain.     24 
For   my  hope  is   to  visit  you   on  my  journey,  and   then   to 
be   sent   on  my  way  by  you,  after   I  have   first  partly  satis- 
fied myself  by  seeing  something  of  you.     Just  now,  however,     25 
I  am  on  my  way  to  Jerusalem,  to  take  help  to  Christ's  People 
there.       For    Macedonia    and    Greece    have   been    glad    to     26 
make   a  collection   for  the  poor  among   Christ's    People   at 
Jerusalem.      Yes,  they  were   glad  to  do  so ;    and  indeed  it     27 
is  a  duty  which  they  owe   to   them.     For  the  Gentile  con- 
verts who  have  shared  their  spiritual  blessings  are  in  duty 
bound  to  minister  to  them  in  the  things  of  this  world.    When     28 
I  have  settled  this  matter,  and  have  secured  to  the  poor  at 
Jerusalem  the  enjoyment  of  these  benefits,  I  shall  go,  by  way 
of  you,  to  Spain.     And  I  know  that,  when  I  come  to  you,  it     29 
will  be  with  a  full  measure  of  blessing  from  Christ. 

I  beg  you,  then,  Brothers,  by  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  and  by     30 
the  love  inspired  by  the  Spirit,  to  join  me  in  earnest  prayer  to 
God  on  my  behalf.     Pray  that  I  may  be  rescued  from  those  in     31 
Judaea  who  reject  the  Faith,  and  that  the  help  which  I  am 
taking  to  Jerusalem  may  prove  acceptable  to  Christ's  People  ; 
so  that,  God  willing,  I  may  be  able  to  come  to  you  with  a  joyful     32 
heart,  and  enjoy  some  rest  among  you.    May  God,  the  giver  of    33 
peace,  be  with  you  all.     Amen. 

The  Bearer        ^  commend  to  your  care  our  Sister,  Phoebe,  who     i    1( 
of  the        helps  in  the  work  of  the  Church  at  Cenchreae  ; 
Letter.       ancj  j  asfc  yOU  ^o  gjve.her  a  Christian  welcome —     2 
one  worthy  of  Christ's  People — and  to  aid  her  in  any  matter  in 
which  she  may  need  your  assistance.     She  has  proved  herself 
a  staunch  friend  to  me  and  to  many  others. 

Personal         Give  my  greeting  to  Prisca  and  Aquila,  my     3 
Greetings,     fellow-workers   in    the    Cause    of  Christ  Jesus, 
who    risked    their  own  lives    to    save  mine.       It    is    not    I     4 
alone   who   thank   them,   but   all   the   Churches   among  the 
Gentiles  thank  them  also.     Give  my  greeting,  also,  to  the     5 
Church  that  meets  at  their  house,  as  well  as  to  my  dear  friend 
Epaenetus,    one   of  the  first   in    Roman   Asia   to  believe   in 
Christ ;   to  Mary,  who  worked  hard  for  you  ;   to  Andronicus     6,  7 
and  Junias,   my  countrymen  and  once   my  fellow-prisoners, 
who  are  men  of  note  among  the  Apostles,  and  who  became 
Christians  before  I  did  ;  to  my  dear  Christian  friend  Ampliatus ;     8 
to  Urban,  our  fellow-worker  in  the  Cause  of  Christ,  and  to  my    9 
dear  friend  Stachys  ;  to  that  proved  Christian  Apelles  ;  to  the     10 
household  of  Aristobulus  ;   to  my  countryman  Herodion  ;  to     n 
the  Christians  in  the  household  of  Narcissus  ;  to  Tryphaena     12 
and  Tryphosa,  who  have  worked  hard  for  the  Mcister ;  to  my 
dear  friend  Persis,  for  she  has  done  much  hard  work  for  the 
Master ;  to  that  eminent  Christian,  Rufus,  and  to  his  mother,     13 
who  has  been  a  mother  to  me  also  ;  to  Asyncritus,  Phlegon,     14 


374  ROMANS,  16. 

Hermes,  Patrobas,  Hermas,  and  the  Brothers  with  them  ;  also     15 
to  Philologus  and  Julia,  Nereus  and  his  sister,  and  Olympas, 
and   to  all  Christ's  People  who  are  with  them.     Greet  one     16 
another  with  a  sacred  kiss.     All  the  Churches  of  the  Christ 
send  you  greetings. 

I  urge  you,  Brothers,  to  be  on  your  guard  against  people     17 
who,  by  disregarding  the  teaching  which  you  received,  cause 
divisions  and   create   difficulties  ;   dissociate  yourselves   from 
them.     For  such  persons  are  not  serving  Christ,  our  Master,     18 
but  are  slaves  to  their  own  appetites  ;  and,  by  their  smooth 
words  and  flattery,  they  deceive  simple-minded  people.     Every     tg 
one  has  heard  of  your  ready  obedience.     It  is  true  that  I  am 
very  happy  about  you,  but  I  want  you  to  be  well  versed  in  all 
that  is  good,  and  innocent  of  all  that  is  bad.     And  God,  the     20 
giver  of  peace,  will  before  long  crush  Satan  under  your  feet. 

May  the  blessing  of  Jesus,  our  Lord,  be  with  you. 

Timothy,  my  fellow- worker,  sends  you  his   greeting,  and     21 
Lucius,  Jason,  and  Sosipater,  my  countrymen,  send  theirs.     I,     22 
Tertius,  who  am  writing  this  letter,  send  you  my  Christian 
greeting.     My  host  Gaius,  who  extends  his  hospitality  to  the     23 
whole  Church,  sends  you  his  greeting ;  and  Erastus,  the  City 
Treasurer,  and  Quartus,  our  Brother,  add  theirs. 


A  Now  to  him  who  is  able  to  strengthen  you,  as 

Doxoiogy.  promised  in  the  Good  News  entrusted  to  me  and 
in  the  proclamation  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  accordance  with  the 
revelation  of  that  hidden  purpose,  which  in  past  ages  was  kept 
secret  but  now  has  been  revealed  and,  in  obedience  to  the 
command  of  the  Immortal  God,  made  known  through  the 
writings  of  the  Prophets  to  all  nations,  to  secure  submission 
to  the  Faith — to  him,  I  say,  the  wise  and  only  God,  be  ascribed, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  all  glory  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 


TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 


ST.     PAUL'S     LETTER     TO     THE 
CHRISTIANS     AT     COLOSSAE. 


WRITTEN     PROBABLY    DURING    HIS     IMPRISON- 
MENT   AT    ROME,    ABOUT    61    A.D. 


COLOSSAE  was  a  town  in  Roman  Asia,  which  had  once  been 
a  place  of  considerable  importance,  but  which,  at  the  time  of 
this  Letter,  had  lost  much  of  its  former  prosperity.  It  does 
not  appear  that  St.  Paul  had  had  any  close  personal  connexion 
with  the  Church  at  Colossae,  but  it  is  plain  from  the  Letter 
itself  that  his  authority  was  recognized  over  a  wide  area.  The 
Apostle's  attention  had  been  drawn  to  the  Church  at  Colossae 
by  a  visit  which  he  had  received  from  Epaphras,  who  had  been 
closely  associated  with  the  Christians  living  there,  and  who  had 
told  St.  Paul  of  a  dangerous  heresy  which  threatened  to  under- 
mine the  religious  life  of  his  fellow-Christians  in  that  place. 

This  heresy  consisted  in  a  teaching,  '  drawn  from  the 
atmosphere  of  mystical  speculation,'  and  '  with  no  foundation 
in  history,'  which  attempted  to  bridge  the  chasm  between  God 
and  Man  by  the  assumption  that  there  were  many  angelic 
mediators.  The  necessity  for  this  assumption  lay  in  the  pre- 
valent error  that  all  matter  was  evil  and,  therefore,  in  direct 
opposition  to  God. 

Two  obvious  inferences  from  this  heresy  were  the  duty  of  the 
worship  of  angels,  and  the  need  for  rigid  asceticism. 

Against  such  unsatisfying  mediation,  and  its  consequent 
dangers,  St.  Paul  sets  the  Life,  Work,  and  Person  of  the 
historical  Christ — the  one,  all-sufficient  mediator,  the  Head  of 
all  creation. 

The  obscurity  of  this  Letter  is  due  partly  to  the  ruggedness 
and  compression  of  the  Apostle's  style,  and  partly  to  the  fact 
that  the  Letter  combats  a  form  of  heretical  teaching  which  is 
by  no  means  familiar  to  the  reader  of  to-day. 


TO    THE 

COLOSSIANS, 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

Greetin       ^°  Christ's  People  at  Colossae — the  Brothers  who     i,  2 

are  faithful  to  him, 

FROM  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Christ  Jesus,  by  the  will  of  God, 
AND  FROM  Timothy,  our  Brother. 
May  God,  our  Father,  bless  you  and  give  you  peace. 

The  Apostle's      Whenever  we  pray,  we  never  fail  to  thank  God,     3 
Thankfulness  the  Father  of  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  about  you, 
and  Prayer.  now  thaj-  we  nave  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ    4 
Jesus  and  of  the  love  that  you  have  tor  all  his  People,  on     5 
account  of  the  hope  which  awaits  its  fulfilment  in  Heaven.    Of 
this  hope  you  heard  long  ago  in  the  true  Message  of  the  Good 
News  which  reached  you — bearing  fruit  and  growing,  as  it     6 
does,  through  all  the  world,  just  as  it  did  among  you,  from  the 
very  day  that  you  heard  of  God's  loving-kindness,  and  under- 
stood what  that  loving-kindness  really  is.     It  is  just  what  you     7 
learnt   from    Epaphras,  our  dear   fellow-servant,  who,  as   a 
minister    of  the   Christ,    faithfully   represents    us,    and   who     8 
told    us   of   the    love   with   which    the    Spirit    has   inspired 
you.  And   therefore  we,  from   the  very  day   that  we    9 

heard  this,  have  never  ceased  praying  for  you,  or  asking  that 
you  may  possess  that  deeper  knowledge  of  the  will  of  God, 
which  comes  through  all  true  spiritual  wisdom  and  insight. 
Then  you  will  live  lives  worthy  of  the  Master,  and  so  please     10 
God  in  every  way.     Your  lives  will  be  fruitful  in  every  kind  of 
good  action,  and  your  characters  will  grow  through  a  fuller 
knowledge  of  God ;  you  will  be  made  strong  at  all  points  with  a     1 1 
strength  worthy  of  the  power  manifested  in  his  Glory — strong 
to  endure  with  patience,  and  even  with  gladness,  whatever 
may  befall  you  ;  and  you  will  give  thanks  to  the  Father  who     12 
made  you  fit  to  share  the  lot  which  awaits  Christ's  People  in 
the  realms  of  Light. 


378  COLOSSIANS,  1. 


II. — THE  PERSON  AND  WORK  OF  THE  CHRIST. 

His  For  God  has  rescued  us  from  the  tyranny  of 

Deliverance.  Darkness,  and  has  removed  us  into  the  Kingdom 

of  his  Son,  who  is  the  embodiment  of  his  love,  and  through 

whom  we  have  found  deliverance  in  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins. 

His  For  Christ  is  the  very  incarnation  of  the  invisible 
Pre-eminence,  God — First-born  and  Head  of  all  creation  ;  for  in 
him  was  created  all  that  is  in  Heaven  and  on  earth,  the  visible 
and  the  invisible — Angels  and  Archangels  and  all  the  Powers  of 
Heaven.  All  has  been  created  through  him  and  for  him.  He 
was  before  all  things,  and  all  things  unite  in  him  ;  and  he 
is  the  Head  of  the  Church,  which  is  his  Body.  The  First- 
born from  the  dead,  he  is  to  the  Church  the  Source  of  its 
Life,  that  he,  in  all  things,  may  stand  first.  For  it  pleased 
the  Father  that  in  him  the  divine  nature  in  all  its  fulness 

H|>  should  dwell,  and  through  him  to  reconcile  all 
Reoonciiia-  things  to  himself  (making  peace  by  the  shedding 

tion.  Of  Christ's  blood  offered  upon  the  cross) — whether 
on  earth  or  in  Heaven.  And  it  pleased  God  that  you,  once 
estranged  from  him  and  hostile  towards  him  in  your  thoughts, 
intent  only  on  wickedness — but  now  he  has  reconciled  you  to 
himself  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ's  earthly  body  in  death — it 
has  pleased  God  that  you  should  stand  in  his  presence  holy, 
pure,  and  blameless,  if  only  you  remain  true  to  your  Faith,  firm 
and  immovable,  never  abandoning  the  hope  held  out  in  the 
Good  News  to  which  you  listened,  which  has  been  proclaimed 
among  all  created  things  under  Heaven,  and  of  which  I,  Paul, 
was  made  a  minister. 

The  Apostle'*  Now  at  last  I  can  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  on 
share  your  behalf,  and  in  my  own  person  I  supplement 

in  this  work.  tjie  afflictions  endured  by  the  Christ,  for  the  sake 
of  his  Body,  the  Church  ;  of  which  I  myself  became  a  minister 
in  virtue  of  the  office  with  which  God  entrusted  me  for  your 
benefit,  to  declare  the  Message  of  God  in  all  its  fulness — that 
Truth  which  has  been  hidden  from  former  ages  and  genera- 
tions. But  now  it  has  been  revealed  to  God's  People,  to 
whom  il  was  his  pleasure  to  make  known  the  surpassing  glory 
of  that  hidden  Truth  when  proclaimed  among  the  Gentiles 

-'Christ  among  you!  Your  Hope  of  glory!'  This  is  the 
Christ  whom  we  proclaim,  warning  every  one,  and  instruct- 
ing every  one,  with  all  the  wisdom  that  we  possess,  in  the 
hope  of  bringing  every  one  into  God's  presence  perfected  by 
union  with  Christ.  It  is  for  that  I  toil,  struggling  with  all 
the  energy  which  he  inspires  and  which  works  powerfully 
within  me. 


COLOSSIANS,  2.  379 


III. — CHRIST  AND  THE  GNOSTIC  TEACHING. 

The  wisdom       ^  want  you  to  know  in  how  great  a  struggle     i 

of  cod        I  am   engaged  for  you  and  for  Christ's  People 
in  Christ.     aj  Laodicea,  and  for  all  who  have  not  yet  seen 
me ;   in  the  hope  that  they,  being  bound  to  one  another  by     2 
love,  and  keeping  in  view  the  full  blessedness  of  a  firm  convic- 
tion, may  be  encouraged  to  strive  for  a  perfect  knowledge  of 
God's  hidden  Truth,  even  Christ  himself,  in  whom  all  treasures    '3 
of  wisdom  and  knowledge  lie  hidden.  I  say  this  to    4 

prevent  any  one  from  deceiving  you  by  plausible  arguments. 
It  is  true  that  I  am  not  with  you  in  person,  but  I  am  with  you     5 
in  spirit,  and  am  glad  to  see  the  good  order  and  the  unbroken 
front  resulting  from  your  faith  in  Christ. 

Union  with        Since,  therefore,  you  have  received  Jesus,  the    6 

Christ.        Christ,  as  your  Lord,  live  your  lives  in  union  with 
him — rooted  in  him,   building  up  your    characters  through     7 
union  with  him,  growing  stronger  through  your  faith,  as  you 
were  taught,  overflowing  with  faith  and  thanksgiving. 

Take  care  there  is  not  some  one  who  will  carry  you  away    8 
by  his  '  philosophy ' — a  hollow  sham  ! — following,  as  it  does, 
mere  human  traditions,  and  dealing  with  puerile  questions  of 
this  world,  and  not  with  Christ.     For  in  Christ  the  Godhead     9 
in  all  its  fulness  dwells  incarnate  ;    and,  by  your  union  with     10 
him,  you  also  are  filled  with  it.     He  is  the  Head  of  all  Arch- 
angels and  Powers  of  Heaven.     By  your  union  with  him  you     1 1 
received  a  circumcision  that   was   not  performed  by  human 
hands,  when  you  threw  off  the  tyranny  of  the  earthly  body, 
and  received  the  circumcision  of  the  Christ.     For  in  baptism     12 
you  were  buried  with  Christ ;  and  in  baptism  you  were  also 
raised  to  Life  with  him,  through  your  faith  in  the  omnipotence 
of  God,  who  raised  him  from  the  dead.      And  to  you,   who     13 
once  were  '  dead,  '  by  reason  of  your  sins  and  your  uncircum- 
cised  nature — to  you  God  gave  Life  in  giving  life  to  Christ ! 
He   pardoned  all   our   sins  !      He  cancelled  the  bond  which     14 
stood  against  us — the  bond  that  consisted  of  ordinances— and 
which   was  directly  hostile  to  us  !     He  has  taken  it  out  of 
our  way  by  nailing  it  to  the  cross  !     He  rid  himself  of  all  the     15 
Powers  of  Evil,  and  held  them  up  to  open  contempt,  when  he 
celebrated  his  triumph  over  them  on  the  cross  ! 

This  um<  ^°  not>  then,  allow  any  one  to  take  you  to  task     16 

obs'curecMay  on  questions  of  eating  or  drinking,  or  in  the 
Gnostic      matter  of  annual  or  monthly  or  weekly  festivals. 

Teaching.  These  things  are  only  the  shadow  of  what  is  to  17 
come  ;  the  substance  is  in  the  Christ.  Do  not  let  any  one  18 
defraud  you  of  the  reality  by  affecting  delight  in  so-called 

3  Isa.  45.  3 ;  Prov.  a.  3—4. 


380  COLOSSIANS,  2-3. 

'  humility '  and  angel-worship.  Such  a  man  busies  himself 
with  his  visions,  and  without  reason  is  rendered  conceited  by 
his  merely  human  intellect.  He  fails  to  maintain  union  with  19 
the  Head,  to  whom  it  is  due  that  the  whole  body,  nourished 
and  knit  together  by  the  contact  and  connexion  of  every  part, 
grows  with  a  divine  growth. 

Sharing          Since,  with  Christ,  you  became   dead   to  the     20 
Christ's       puerile  teaching  of  this  world,  why  do  you  sub- 
Death.       mit(  as  though  your  life  were  still  that  of  the 
world,   to  such  ordinances   as  '  Do  not   handle,  or  taste,  or     ii 
touch'?      For  all  the  things  referred  to  in  them  cease  to  exist     22 
when  used.     You  are  following  mere  human  directions  and 
instructions.       Such    prohibitions   appear    reasonable    where     23 
there   is   a    desire    for    self-imposed    service,    and    so-called 
'  humility,'  and  harsh  treatment  of  the  body,  but  are  of  no 
real  value  against  the  indulgence  of  our  earthly  nature. 

sharing  Since,  therefore,  you  were  raised  to  Life  with     i 

Christ's        the  Christ,  seek  for  the  things  that  are  above ; 
Resurrection.  for  ;t  ;s  there  that  the  Christ  is  'seated  at  the 
right  hand  of  God.'     Fix  your  thoughts  upon  the  things  that     2 
are  above,  not  upon  those  that  are  on  earth.     For  you  died,     3 
and  your  Life  now  lies  hidden,  with  the  Christ,  in  God.    When     4 
the  Christ,  who  is  our  Life,  appears,  then  you  also  will  appear 
with  him  in  glory. 


IV. — THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  DAILY  LIFE. 

The  oid  nfe       Therefore  destroy  all  that  is  earthly  in  you —     5 
and  the  New.  immorality,  uncleanness,  passions,  evil  desires, 
and  that  greed  which  is  idolatry.     These  are  the  things  on     6 
account  of  which  the  Wrath  of  God  comes,  and  to  which  you,     7 
like  others,  once  devoted  your  lives,  when  you  lived  for  them. 
You,  however,  must  now  lay  aside  all  such  things — anger,     8 
passion,  malice,  slander,  abuse.       Never  lie  to  one  another.     9 
Get  rid  of  your  old  self  and  its  habits,  and  clothe  yourselves     10 
with  that  new  self,  which,  as  it  gains  in  knowledge,  is  being 
constantly  renewea  '  in  resemblance  to  him  who  made  it.'     In     u 
that  new  life  there  is  no  distinction  between  Greek  and  Jew, 
circumcised  and    uncircumcised,  barbarian,  Scythian,  slave, 
freeman  ;  but  Christ  is  all  ! — and  in  all ! 

Therefore,  as  God's  People,  consecrated  and  dear  to  him,     12 
clothe  yourselves  with  tenderness  of  heart,  kindliness,  humility, 
gentleness,  forbearance  ;  bearing  with  one  another,  and,. when     13 
there   is   any  ground   for  complaint,  forgiving   one   another 
freely.      As  the  Master  freely  forgave  you,  so  you  must  for- 
give one  another.     Over  all  these  virtues  put  on  love  ;   for     14 

22  Isa.  39.  13.     1  Pa.  no.  i.     10  Gen.  i.  37. 


COLOSSIANS,  8—4.  381 

that    is    the  girdle    which    makes  all  complete.       Let  the     15 
Peace  that  the  Christ  gives  decide  all  doubts  within  your  hearts ; 
for  you  also  were  called  to  the  enjoyment  of  peace  as  members 
of  one  Body.    And  show  yourselves  thankful.     Let  the  Message     16 
of  the  Christ  dwell  in  your  minds  in  all  its  wealth,  bringing 
all  wisdom  with  it.     Teach  and  admonish  one  another  with 
psalms,  and  hymns,  and  sacred  songs,  full  of  the  loving-kind- 
ness of  God,  lifting  your  hearts  in  song  to  him.    And,  whatever     17 
you  say  or  do,  do  everything  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ; 
and  through  him  offer  thanksgiving  to  God  the  Father. 

„.  Wives,  submit  to  your  husbands,  as  befits  those     18 

On  riSTian  tii  i         T  i  T  T        «  « 

Family      who  belong  to  the  Lord.  Husbands,  love     19 

Life.         your  wives,  and  never  treat  them  harshly. 

Children,  always  obey  your  parents  ;  for  that  is  pleasant  to     20 
see  in  those  who  belong  to  the  Lord.  Fathers,  never     21 

irritate  your  children,  lest  they  should  become  disheartened. 

Slaves,  always  obey  your  earthly  masters,  not  only  when     22 
their  eyes  are  on  you,  as  if  you  had  but  to  please  men,  but 
giving  them  ungrudging  service,  in  your  reverence  for  the 
Master.      Whatever  you  do,  do  it  with  all  your  heart,  as  if    23 
working  for  the  Master  and  not  for  men,  since  you  know  that     24 
it  is  from  the  Master  that  you  will  receive  the  inheritance 
which  will  be  your  recompense.     You  are  serving  Christ,  the 
Master.    Those  who  do  wrong  will  reap  the  wrong  they  have     25 
done ;    and  there  will  be  no  partiality.  Masters,   do     i    4 

what  is  right  and  fair  by  your  slaves,  for  you  know  that  you 
also  have  a  Master — in  Heaven. 

Rule*  tor         Devote  yourselves  to  prayer.     Give  your  whole     2 
Christian     mind  to  it,  and  also  offer  thanksgiving  ;  and  at     3 

Life.         the  same  time  pray  for  us,  that  God  may  give  us 
an  opening  for  our  Message,  so  that  we  may  speak  of  the 
truths    hidden    in    the   Christ — the    truths    for   which    I    am 
in  chains  !     Then  I  shall  make  them  known,  as  I  ought  to     4 
do.  Show  tact  in  your  behaviour  to  the  outside  world,     5 

making  the  most  of  every  opportunity.     Let  your  conversation     6 
always  be  kindly,  and  seasoned,  as  it  were,  with  salt ;  that 
you  may  know  in  each  case  what  answer  you  ought  to  give. 


V.  — CONCLUSION. 

The  Bearers  ^ear  Brother,  Tychicus,  will  tell  you  all 

or  the        about  me.     He  is  a  faithful  minister,  and  a  fellow- 
Letter,       servant  in  the  Master's  cause.     I  send  him  to  you 
expressly  that  you  may  learn  our  circumstances,  and  that  he 
may  give  you  encouragement.     With  him  will  be  Onesimus, 


382  COLOSSIANS,  4. 

our  dear  faithful  Brother,  who  is  one  of  yourselves.     They  will 
tell  you  all  that  is  going  on  here. 

personal          ^^  fellow-prisoner,  Aristarchus,  sends  you  his     10 
Greetings  and  greeting,  and  Barnabas's  cousin,  Mark,  sends  his. 

Messages.    (You  have  received  directions  about  him.     If  he 
comes  to  you,  make  him  welcome.)     Joshua,  who  is  called     n 
Justus,  also  sends  his  greeting.     These  are  the  only  converts 
from  Judaism  who  have  worked  with  me  for  the  Kingdom  of 
God  ;  I  have  found  them  a  great  comfort.     Epaphras,  who  is     12 
one  of  yourselves,  sends  you  his  greeting.     He  is  a  servant  of 
Christ  Jesus,  and  is  always  most  earnest  in  your  behalf  in  his 
prayers,  praying  that  you  may  stand  firm,  with  a  matured 
faith  and  with  a  sure  conviction  of  all  that  is  in  accordance 
with  God's  will.     I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  deep  interest  he     13 
takes  in  you,  as  well  as  in  the  Brethren  at  Laodicea  and  at 
Hierapolis.     Luke,  our  dear  doctor,  sends  you  his  greeting,     14 
andDemassends  his.  Give  mygreetingto  the  Brethren     15 

at  Laodicea,  and  to  Nymphe,  and  to  the  Church  that  meets  at 
her  house.      And  when  this  letter  has  been  read  to  you,  see     16 
that  it  is  also  read  before  the  Church  at  Laodicea,  and  that  you 
yourselves  read  the  letter  which  will  be  forwarded  from  there. 
Give  this  message  to  Archippus — '  Take  care    to   discharge     17 
to  the  best  of  your  ability  the  office  to  which  you  were  ap- 
pointed in  the  Master's  Cause.' 

The  A  ostio's      I»  Paul>  add  this  greeting  in  my  own  hand-     18 
own         writing.        Remember    these    chains    of   mine. 
God's  blessing  be  with  you. 


TO  PHILEMON. 


ST.  PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  PHILEMON, 


WRITTEN     PROBABLY     DURING     HIS     IMPRISON- 
MENT    AT     ROME,     ABOUT    61    A.D. 


ONESIMUS,  who  was  the  bearer  of  this  Letter,  had  been 
a  slave  to  Philemon.  He  had  robbed  his  master  and  run  away 
from  him  ;  but,  on  reaching  Rome,  he  had  come  under  the 
influence  of  St.  Paul,  and  had  been  converted  to  Christianity. 
Philemon,  who  lived  probably  at  Laodicea  in  Asia  Minor, 
was  also  one  of  the  Apostle's  converts;  and  St.  Paul  sent 
Onesimus  back  to  him  with  this  Letter,  asking  Philemon  to 
forgive  him,  and  to  receive  him  as  a  Brother-Christian. 


PHILEMON. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  our  dear  friend  and  fellow- worker  Philemon,  to  our  sister      I,  2 

Apphia,  to  our  fellow-soldier  Archippus  ; 
AND  TO  the  Church  that  meets  at  Philemon's  house  ; 
FROM  Paul,  now  a  prisoner  for  Christ  Jesus, 
AND  FROM  Timothy,  a  Brother. 
May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you     3 

and  give  you  peace. 


II. — THE    APOSTLE'S    REQUEST    CONCERNING    A    RUN-AWAY 
•  SLAVE. 

I    always    mention    you    in    my    prayers   and    thank    God     4 
for  you,   because  I   hear  of  the   love   and    the   faith    which     5 
you  show,  not  only  to  the  Lord  Jesus,   but  also  to  all  his 
People  ;    and    I    pray   that   your   participation    in    the    Faith     6 
may  result  in   action,   as   you   come   to   a  fuller   realization 
of  everything   that   is   good   and    Christlike   in   us.     I    have     7 
indeed   found    great  joy   and   encouragement   in   your  love, 
knowing,   as   I   do,   how  the  hearts  of  Christ's  People  have 
been  cheered,  Brother,  by  you. 

And  so,  though  my  union  with  Christ  enables  me,  with  all     8 
confidence,  to  dictate  the  course  that  you  should  adopt,  yet     9 
the  claims  of  love  make  me  prefer  to  plead  with  you — yes, 
even  me,  Paul,  though  I  am  an  ambassador  for  Christ  Jesus 
and,  now,  a  prisoner  for  him  as  well.      I  plead  with  you  for     10 
this  Child  of  mine,  Onesimus,  to  whom,  in  my  prison,  I  have 
become  a  Father.     Once  he  was  of  little  service  to  you,  but     u 
now  he  has  become  of  great  service,  not  only  to  you,  but  to 
me  as  well  ;  and   I  am  sending  him  back  to  you  with  this     12 
letter — though    it    is    like   tearing    out   my  very  heart.     For     13 
my  own  sake  I  should   like  to  keep  him  with  me,  so  that, 
while  I  am  in  prison  for  the  Good  News,  he  might,  attend 
to   my   wants  on   your  behalf.      But   I   do   not   wish   to   do     14 
anything  without  your  consent,  because  I  want  your  generosity 

o 


386  PHILEMON. 

to  be  voluntary  and  not,  as    it   were,  compulsory.      It  may     15 
be  that  he  was  separated  from  you  for  an  hour,  for  this  very 
reason,   that  you  might  have  him  back  for  ever,  no  longer     16 
as  a  slave,  but  as  something  better — a  dearly  loved  Brother, 
especially  dear  to  me,  and  how  much  more  so  to  you,  not  only 
as  your  fellow  man,  but  as  your  fellow  Christian  1  If,  then,  you     17 
count  me  your  friend,  receive  him  as  you  would  me.     If  he     18 
has  caused  you  any  loss,  or  owes  you  anything,  charge  it  to 
me.     I,  Paul,  put  my  own  hand  to  it — I  will  repay  you  my-     19 
self.    I  say  nothing  about  your  owing  me  your  very  self.    Yes,     20 
Brother,   let  me  gain  something  from  you  because  of  your 
union   with  the  Lord.     Cheer  my  heart  by  your  Christlike 
spirit. 

Even  as  I  write,  I  have  such  confidence  in  your  compliance     21 
with  my  wishes,  that  I  am  sure  that  you  will  do  even  more 
than  I  am  asking.     Please  also  get  a  lodging  ready  for  me,  for     22 
I  hope- that  I  shall  be  given  back  to  you  all  in  answer  to  your 
prayers. 

III. — MESSAGES  AND  BLESSING. 

Epaphras,  who  is  my  fellow-prisoner  for  Christ  Jesus,  sends  23 
you  his  greeting ;  and  Marcus,  Aristarchus  Demas,  and  24 
Luke,  my  fellow-workers,  send  theirs. 

May  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  rest  on  your  25 
souls. 


TO  THE  EPHESIANS 


ST.     PAUL'S     LETTER     TO     THE 
CHRISTIANS     AT     EPHESUS. 


WRITTEN     POSSIBLY     DURING     HIS     IMPRISON- 
MENT  AT    ROME,    ABOUT    61    A.D. 


EPHESUS  was  a  busy  seaport  and  the  chief  city  of  Roman 
Asia.  In  it  stood  the  famous  temple  of  Diana.  St.  Paul's 
visit  to  Ephesus  is  recorded  in  the  Acts  (Chapter  19)  and 
lasted  for  more  than  two  years.  His  stay  there  was  eventful ; 
and,  when  it  came  to  an  end,  the  Apostle  went  to  Greece,  and 
then  returned,  by  way  of  Miletus,  to  Jerusalem.  Shortly 
afterwards  he  was  arrested,  on  the  complaint  of  the  Jews, 
and  taken  to  Caesarea  (Acts  23.  23),  and  from  there  to  Rome 
(Acts  28.  1 6).  From  one  of  these  places — probably  the  latter — 
he  may  have  written  the  present  Letter. 

The  genuineness  of  this  Letter  has  been  frequently  assailed, 
but  it  may,  with  some  confidence,  be  attributed  to  the  Apostle 
himself.  It  appears  to  have  been  a  circular  letter  addressed, 
not  merely  to  the  Christians  of  Ephesus,  but  also  to  the  other 
Churches  in  Roman  Asia ;  indeed,  it  was  also  known  as 
"The  Letter  to  Laodicea,"  and  may  be  the  letter  referred  to  in 
Colossians  4.  16.  In  it  the  Apostle  is  not  so  much  replying 
to  arguments  hostile  to  Christianity,  as  developing,  upon 
lines  similar  to  those  laid  down  in  the  Letter  to  the  Colossians, 
his  conception  of  the  unity  of  all  Christians  in  the  Christ,  the 
invisible  Head  of  their  one  Society. 


TO    THE 

EPHESIANS. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

Greeting.     To  Christ's  People  [AT  EPHESUS]  who  are  faith-     i 

ful  to  him, 

FROM  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Christ  Jesus,  by  the  will  of  God. 
May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you  and     2 
give  you  peace. 

The  Apostle's      Blessed  is  the  God  and  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,     3 
Ascription  of  our  Lord,  who  has  blessed  us  on  high  with  every 

Praise.        spiritual  blessing,  in  Christ.      For  he  chose  us  in     4 
our  union  with  Christ  before  the  creation  of  the  universe,  that 
we  might  be  holy  and  blameless  in  his  sight,  living  in  the 
spirit  of  love.     From  the  first  he  destined  us,  in  his  good-     5 
will  towards  us,  to  be  adopted  as  Sons  through  Jesus  Christ, 
and  so  to  enhance  that  glorious  manifestation  of  his  loving-    6 
kindness  which  he  gave  us  in  The  Beloved  ;  for  in  him,  and     7 
through  the  shedding  of  his  blood,  we  have  found  redemption  in 
the  pardon  of  our  offences.     All  this  accords  with  the  loving-    8 
kindness   which    God    lavished    upon    us,    accompanied    by 
countless  gifts  of  wisdom  and  discernment,  when  he  made     9 
known  to  us  his  hidden  purpose.     And  it  also  accords  with 
the  good-will  which  God  purposed  to  exhibit  in  Christ,   in     10 
view  of  that    Divine   Order  which  was   to   mark   the  com- 
pletion of  the  ages,  when  he  should  make  everything,  both 
in  Heaven  and  on  earth,  centre  in  him.     In  him,  I  say,  for  by     u 
our  union  with  him  we  became  God's  Heritage,  having  from 
the  first  been  destined  for  this  in  the  intention  of  him  who, 
in  all  that  happens,  is  carrying  out  his  own  fixed  purpose  ; 
that  we  should  enhance  his  glory — we  who  have  been  the'  first     12 
to  rest  our  hopes  on  the  Christ.     And  you,  too,  by  your  union     13 
with  him,  after  you  had  heard  the  Message  of  the  Truth,  the 
Good  News  of  your  Salvation — you  believed  in  him  and  were 
sealed  as  his  by  receiving  the  holy  Spirit,  which  he  had  pro- 
mised.     And  the  Spirit  is  a  pledge  of  our  future  heritage,     14 
fore-shadowing  the  full  redemption  of  God's  own  People — to 
enhance  his  Glory. 


390  EPHESIANS,  1-2. 


II.—  THE  POWER  OF  GOD  DISPLAYED  IN  CHRIST,  THE  HEAD 
OF  THE  CHURCH. 


pra  or  therefore  I,  ever  since  I  heard  of  the  faith 

for  Knowledge  in  the  Lord  Jesus  which  prevails  among  you, 
or  this  Power.  an(j  of  your  confidence  in  all  Christ's  People, 
have  never  omitted  to  thank  God  on  your  behalf,  whenever  I 
make  mention  of  you  in  my  prayers.  My  prayer  is  that  the 
God  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  the  all-glorious  Father,  may  in- 
spire you  with  wisdom  and  true  insight  through  a  fuller  know- 
ledge of  himself  ;  that  your  minds  may  be  so  enlightened  that 
you  may  realize  the  hope  given  by  God's  Call,  the  wealth  of  the 
glory  of  his  heritage  among  Christ's  People,  and  the  transcen- 
dant  greatness  of  the  power  which  he  is  able  to  exercise  in  deal- 

ing with  us  who  believe  in  him.  The  same  mighty 
cMapiayecMn  powerwas  exerted  upon  the  Christ,  when  he  raised 
the  Resurrec-  the  Christ  from  the  dead  and  '  caused  him  to  sit 
tion  of  Christ.  at  ^js  right  hand'  on  high,  exalting  him  above 
all  Angels  and  Archangels  of  every  rank,  and  above  every  name 
that  can  be  named,  whether  in  the  present  age,  or  in  the  age 
to  come.  And  God  placed  'all  things  under  Christ's  feet,'  and 
gave  him  to  the  Church  as  its  supreme  Head  ;  for  the  Church 
is  Christ's  Body,  and  is  filled  by  him  who  fills  all  things  every- 
where with  his  presence.  You  yourselves  were  once  dead  be- 
cause of  your  offences  and  sins.  For  at  one  time  you  lived  in 
sin,  following  the  ways  of  the  world,  in  subjection  to  the  Ruler 

of  the  Powers  of  the  air  —  the  Spirit  who  is  still  at 
This  Power  work  among  the  disobedient.  And  it  was  among 

displayed  in    ,,  ,,  ,.        ,  ..  •     j     i     • 

the  conver-  them  that  we  all  once  lived  our  lives,  indulging 
sion  of  the    the  cravings  of  our  earthly  nature,  and  carrying 
Qentiies.      Qu^  ^Q  desires  prompted  by  that  earthly  nature 
and  by  our  own  thoughts.     Our  very  nature  exposed  us  to  the 
Divine  Wrath,  like  the  rest  of  mankind.  Yet  God,  in 

his  abundant  compassion,  and  because  of  the  great  love  with 
which  he  loved  us,  even  though  we  were  '  dead  '  because  of  our 
offences,  gave  Life  to  us  in  giving  Life  to  the  Christ.  (By 
God's  loving-kindness  you  have  been  saved.)  And,  through  our 
union  with  Christ  Jesus,  God  raised  us  with  him,  and  caused 
us  to  sit  with  him  on  high,  in  order  that,  by  his  goodness  to 
us  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  might  display  in  the  ages  to  come  the 
boundless  wealth  of  his  loving-kindness.  For  it  is  by  God's 
loving-kindness  that  you  have  been  saved,  through  your  faith. 
It  is  not  due  to  yourselves  ;  the  gift  is  God's.  It  is  not  due  to 
obedience  to  Law,  lest  any  one  should  boast.  For  we  are  God's 
handiwork,  created,  by  our  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  for  the  good 
actions  in  doing  which  God  had  pre-arranged  that  we  should 
spend  our  lives. 

W  Peut.  33.  4.    20  Pa.  no.  i.    22  PS.  $.  $, 


EPHESIANS,  2-3.  391 

This  Power        Remember,  therefore,  that  you  were  once  Gen-     1 1 
displayed  !•  tiles  yourselves,  as   your   bodies   showed  ;    you 
the  union  of  wefe  cauetj  « The  Uncircumcised  '  by  those  who 

Jew  and  Gen-  <<r>i_      t-»    '  •        j  >  •  j          « 

tile  within     were  called    1  he  Circumcised  — circumcised  only 
the  church,  by  the  hand  of  man  !     Remember  that  you  were     12 
at  that  time  far  from  Christ ;  you  were  shut  out  from  the 
citizenship  of  Israel  ;   you  were  strangers  to  the  Covenants 
founded  on  God's  Promise  ;  you  were  in  the  world  without 
hope  and  without  God.     But  now,  through  your  union  with     13 
Christ  Jesus,  you  who  once  were  '  far  off'  have,  by  the  shedding 
of  the  blood  of  the  Christ,  been  brought  '  near.'  He  it     14 

is  who  is  our  Peace.     He  made  the  two  divisions  of  mankind 
one,  broke  down  the  barrier  that  separated  them,  and  in  his     15 
human  nature  put  an  end  to  the  cause  of  enmity  between 
them — the  Law  with  its  injunctions  and  ordinances — in  order 
to  create,  through  union  with  himself,  from  Jew  and  Gentile, 
one  New  Man,  and  thus  make  peace.     And  when,  upon  the     16 
cross,  he  had  destroyed  their  mutual  enmity,  he  sought  by 
means  of  his  cross  to  reconcile  them  both  to  God,  united  in  one 
Body.     He  came  with  the  Good  News  of  peace  for  you  who     17 
were  '  far  off,'  and  of  peace  for  those  who  were  '  near '  ;  for  it     18 
is  through  him  that  we,  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles,  united  in 
the  one  Spirit,  are  now  able  to  approach  the  Father.  It     19 

follows,  then,  that  you  are  no  longer  strangers  and  aliens,  but 
are  fellow-citizens  with  Christ's  People  and  members  of  God's 
Household.     You  have  been  built  up  upon  the  foundation  laid     20 
by  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  Christ  Jesus  himself  being  'the 
corner-stone.'  United  in  him,  every  part  of  the  building,  closely     21 
joined  together,  will  grow  into  a  Temple,  consecrated  by  its 
union  with  the  Lord.    And,  through  union  in  him,  you  also  are     22 
being  built  up  together,  to  be  a  dwelling-place  for  God  through 
the  Spirit. 


III. — THE  APOSTLE'S  DIVINE  COMMISSION  TO  THE  GENTILES. 

For  this  reason  I,  Paul,  the  prisoner  of  Jesus,     i 
The  Gospel    the  Christ,  for  the  sake  of  you  Gentiles for  you     2 

made  known   .  r   .1  -i   i         i 

to  the  church  have  heard,  I  suppose,  of  the  responsible  charge 
through  the  with  which  God  entrusted  me  for  your  benefit, 
Apostle.      ancj  ajSQ  tjlat  jt  wag  by  (j;rect  revelation  that    3 

the  hidden  purpose  of  God  was  made  known  to  me,  as  I 
have   already    briefly   told    you.      And,    by    reading    what  I     4 
have  written,  you  will  be  able  to  judge  how  far  I  understand 
this  hidden  purpose  of  God  in  Christ.     In   former   genera-     5 
tions  it  was  not  made  known  to  mankind,  as  fully  as  it  has 
now  been  revealed  by  the  Spirit  to  the  Apostles  and  Prophets 
among  Christ's  People — that,  by  union  with  Christ  Jesus  and     6 

Isa.  57.  19 ;  52.  7.    M  Isa.  28.  16. 


392  EPHESIANS,  3-4. 

through  the  Good  News,  the  Gentiles  are  co-heirs  with  us  and 
members  of  one  Body,  and  that  they  share  with  us  in  God's 
Promise.     Of  this  Good  News  I  became  a  minister,  in  virtue 
of  the  charge  with  which  God  entrusted  me  in  the  exercise  of 
his  power — yes,   to  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all 
Christ's  People,  was  this  charge  entrusted  ! — to  tell  the  Gentiles 
the  Good   News   of  the    boundless    wealth    to   be   found   in 
the  Christ,  and  to  make  clear  what  is  God's  way  of  working 
out   that    hidden    purpose    which    from    the    first    has   been 
concealed    in    the    mind  of    the  Creator   of  all   things ;    so 
that  now  to  the  Archangels  and  to  all  the  Powers 
made  ifnown  on   high  should  be   made   known,  through  the 
to  the        Church,   the  all-embracing  wisdom  of  God,  in 
"power!*     accordance  with  that  purpose  which  runs  through 
through  the  all  the  ages  and  which  he  has  now  accomplished 
church.       jn  Jesus,  the  Christ,  our  Master.     And  in  union 
with  him,  and    through  our  trust  in   him,  we  find  courage 
to  approach  God  with  confidence.  Therefore    I    beg 

you  not  to  be  disheartened  at  the  sufferings  that  I  am  under- 
going for  your  sakes  ;  for  they  redound  to  your  honour. 

For    this    reason,    then,    I    kneel    before    the 

theychurch    Father— from  whom  all  '  fatherhood '  in  Heaven 

may         and  on  earth  derives  its  name — and  pray  that, 

"thuToos**!1  *n  ProPort'on  to  the  wealth  of  his  glory,  he  will 

strengthen  you  with  his  power  by  breathing  his 

Spirit  into  your  inmost  soul,  so  that  the  Christ,  through  your 

faith,  may  make  his  home  within  your  hearts  in  love  ;   and 

I  pray  that  you,  now  firmly  rooted  and  established,  may,  with 

all  Christ's  People,  have  the  power  to  comprehend  in  all  its 

width  and  length  and  height  and  depth,  and  to  understand — 

though  it  surpasses  all  understanding — the  love  of  the  Christ ; 

and  so  be  filled  to  the  full  with  God  himself. 

To  him  who,  through  his  power  which  is  at 
Blo*y-     W0rk  within  us,  is  able  to  do  far  more  than  any- 
thing that  we  can  ask  or  conceive — to  him  be  all  glory  through 
the  Church  and  through  Christ  Jesus,  for  all  generations,  age 
after  age.     Amen. 


IV. — THE  GOSPEL  AND  THE  DAILY  LIFE. 

unity  in          I  urge  youi  then — I  who  am  a  prisoner  in  the  i 
Christ.       Master's  cause — to  live  lives  worthy  of  the  Call 

that  you  have  received  ;   always  humble  and  gentle,  patient,  2 

bearing  lovingly  with  one  another,  and  striving  to  maintain  3 

in  the  bond  of  peace  the  unity  given  by  the  Spirit.     There  is  4 
but  one  Body  and  one  Spirit,  just  as  there  was  but  one  hope 


EPHESIANS,  4.  393 

set  before  you  when  you  received  your  Call.     There  is  but  one  5 

Lord,  one  Faith,  one  Baptism.     There  is  but  one  God  and  6 
Father  of  all — the  God  who  is  over  all,  pervades  all,  and  is  in 

all.  Every  one  of  us,  however,  has  been  entrusted  with  7 

some   charge,   each    in   accordance   with    the   extent   of   the 

gift  of  the  Christ.     That  is  why  it  is  said —  8 

'  When  he  went  up  on  high,  he  led  his  captives  into  captivity, 
And  gave  gifts  to  mankind.' 

Now  surely  this  '  going  up '  must  imply  that  he  had  already    9 
gone  down  into  the  world  beneath.     He  who  went  down  is  the     10 
same  as  he  who  went  up — up  beyond  the  highest  Heaven,  that 
he  might  fill  all  things  with  his  presence.     And  he  it  is  who     n 
gave  to  the  Church  Apostles,  Prophets,  Missionaries,  Pastors, 
and  Teachers,  to  fit  his  People  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,     12 
for  the  building  up  of  the  Body  of  the  Christ.     And  this  shall     13 
continue,  until  we  all  attain  to  that  unity  which  is  given  by 
faith  and  by  a  fuller  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  until  we 
reach   the  ideal  man — the  full  standard  of  the  perfection  of 
the  Christ.     Then  we  shall  no  longer  be  like  infants,  tossed     14 
backward  and  forward,  blown  about  by  every  breath  of  human 
teaching,  through  the  trickery  and    the   craftiness  of  men, 
towards  the  snares  of  error  ;  but  holding  the  truth  in  a  spirit     15 
of  love,  we  shall  grow  into  complete  union  with  him  who  is 
our  Head — Christ  himself.     For  from  him  the  whole  Body,     16 
closely  joined  and  knit  together  by  the  contact  of  every  part 
with  the   source   of  its  life,   derives  its   power  to   grow,  in 
proportion  to  the  vigour  of  each  individual  part ;  and  so  is 
being  built  up  in  a  spirit  of  love. 

The  New          This,  then,    as  one   in    union  with  the  Lord,     i*f 
Life  and  the  I  say  to  you  and  urge  upon  you  : — Do  not  con- 
Old-          tinue  to  live  such  purposeless  lives  as  the  Gen- 
tiles live,  with  their  powers  of  discernment  darkened,  cut  off    18 
from  the  Life  of  God,  owing  to  the  ignorance  that  prevails 
among  them  and  to  the  hardness  of  their  hearts.     Lost  to  all     19 
sense  of  shame,  they  have  abandoned  themselves  to  licentious- 
ness, in   order   to   practise   every   kind   of  impurity   without 
restraint.  But  far  different   is   the   lesson  you  learnt     20 

from  the  Christ — if,  that  is,  you  really  listened  to  him,  and     21 
through  union  with  him  were  taught  the  Truth,  as  it  is  to  be 
found  in  Jesus.     For  you  learnt  with  regard  to  your  former     22 
way  of  living  that  you  must  cast  off  your  old  nature,  which, 
yielding  to  deluding  passions,  grows  corrupt ;  that  the  very     23 
spirit  of  your  minds  must  be  constantly  renewed  ;  and  that     24 
you  must  clothe  yourselves   in  that   new  nature  which  was 
created  to  resemble  God,  with  the  righteousness  and  holiness 
springing  from  the  Truth. 

s.  68.  18. 


894  EPHESIANS,  4-5. 

precepts         Since,  therefore,  you  have  cast  off   what   is     25 
for  the        false,    '  you   must   every    one   of  you  speak  the 
Daily  Life,     truth  to  your  neighbours. '     For  we  are  united  to 
one  another  like  the  parts  of  a  body.     '  Be  angry,  yet  do  not     26 
sin.'     Do  not  let  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  anger  ;  and  give     27 
no  opportunity  to  the  Devil.     Let  the  man  who  steals  steal     28 
no  longer,  but  rather  let  him  toil  with  his  hands  at  honest 
work,  so  that  he  may  have  something  to  share  with  any  one 
in  want.     Never  let  any  foul  word  pass  your  lips,  but  only  such     29 
good  words  as  the  occasion  demands,  that  they  may  be  a  help  to 
those  who  hear  them.     And  do  not  grieve  God's  Holy  Spirit ;     30 
for  it  was  through  that  Spirit  that  God  sealed  you  as  his,  against 
the  Day  of  Redemption.    'Let  all  bitterness,  passion,  anger,     31 
brawling,  and  abusive  language   be  banished  from   among 
you,  as  well  as  all  malice.     Be  kind  to  one  another,  tender-     32 
hearted,  ready  to  forgive  one  another,  just  as  God,  in  Christ, 
forgave  you.     Therefore  imitate  God,  as  his  dear  children,     i     , 
and  live  a  life  of  love,  following  the  example  of  the  Christ,     2 
who  loved  you  and  gave  himself  for  you  as  '  an  offering  and  a 
sacrifice  to  God,  that  should  be  fragrant  and  acceptable.' 

As  for  unchastity  and  every  kind  of  impurity,  or  greed,  do     3 
not  let  them  even  be  mentioned  among  you,  as  befits  Christ's 
People,  nor  shameful  conduct,  nor  foolish  talk  or  jesting,  for    4 
they  are  wholly  out  of  place  among  you  ;  but  rather  thanks- 
giving.     For  of  this  you  may  be  sure — that  .10  one  who  is     5 
unchaste  or  impure  or  greedy  of  gain  (for  to  be  greedy  of  gain 
is  idolatry)  has  any  place  awaiting  him  in  the  Kingdom  of  the 
Christ  and  God. 

Do  not  let  any  one  deceive  you  with  specious  arguments.     6 
Those  are  the  sins  that  bring  down  the  Wrath  of  God  upon 
the   disobedient.     Therefore   have  nothing   to  do  with  such     7 
people.     For,  although  you  were  once  in  Darkness,  now,  by     8 
your  union  with  the  Lord,  you  are  in  the  Light.     Live  as 
'  Children  of  Light ' — for  the  outcome  of   life  in    the  Light    9 
may  be  seen  in  every  form  of  goodness,   righteousness,  and 
sincerity — always  trying  to  find  out  what  is  pleasing  to  the     10 
Lord.      Take   no   part   in    deeds   of  Darkness,   from   which     n 
no  good  can  come ;   on  the  contrary,  expose   them.     It   is     12 
degrading  even  to  speak  of  the  things  continually  done  by 
them  in  secret.     All  such  actions,  when  exposed,  have  their     13 
true  character  made  manifest  by  the  Light.     For  everything 
that  has  its  true  character  made  manifest  is  clear  as  light. 
And  that  is  why  it  is  said —  14 

*  Sleeper,  awake  ! 
Arise  from  the  dead, 
And  the  Christ  shall  give  thee  light ! ' 

»  Zech.  8.  16.    »  Ps.  4.  4.    2  Pa.  40.  6  ;  Ezek.  ao.  41. 


EPHESIANS,  5-6.  395 

Take  great  care,  then,   how  you  live — not  unwisely  but     15 
wisely,  making  the  most  of  every  opportunity  ;  for  these  are     16 
evil  days.  Therefore  do  not  grow  thoughtless,  but  try  to  under-     17 
stand  what  the  Lord's  will  is.     Do  not  drink  wine  to  excess,     18 
for  that  leads  to  profligacy  ;    but  seek  to  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  speak  to  one  another  in  psalms  and  hymns 
and  sacred  songs.     Sing  and  make  music  in  your  hearts  to     19 
the  Lord.     Always  give  thanks  for  everything  to  our  God  and     20 
Father,  in  the  Name  of  our  Lord  Jesus.  Christ ;  and  submit  to     21 
one  another  from  reverence  for  him. 

Christian         Wives  should  submit  to  their  husbands  as  sub-     22 
Family  Life,  mitting  to  the  Lord.     For  a  man   is  the  Head     23 
of    his    wffe,    as    the    Christ    is  the   Head    of  the  Church — 
being  indeed  himself  the  Saviour  of  his  Body.       But  as  the     24 
Church  submits  to  the  Christ,  so  also  should  wives  submit  to 
their  husbands  in  everything.  Husbands,   love  your     25 

wives,  just  as  the  Christ  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself 
for  her,  to  make  her  holy,  after  purifying  her  by  the  Washing     26 
with  the  Water,  according  to  his  promise  ;  so  that  he  might     27 
himself  bring  the  Church,  in  all  her  beauty,  into  his  own 
presence,  with  no  spot  or  wrinkle  or  blemish  of  any  kind,  but 
that  she  might  be  holy  and  faultless.     That  is  how  husbands     28 
ought  to  love  their  wives — as  if  they  were  their  own  bodies. 
A  man  who  loves  his  wife  is  really  loving  himself;  for  no  one     29 
ever  yet  hated  his  own  body.     But  every  one  feeds  his  body 
and  cares  for  it,  just  as  the  Christ  for  the  Church  ;  for  we  are     30 
members  of  his  Body. 

'  For  this  cause  a  man  shall  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and         31 
be  united  to  his  wife  ;  and  the  man  and  his  wife  shall  become 
one.' 

In  this  there  is  a  profound  truth — I  am  speaking  of  Christ     32 
and  his  Church.     However,  for  you  individually,  let  each  love     33 
his  wife  as  if  she  were  himself;    and  the  wife- be  careful  to 
respect  her  husband. 

Children,  obey  your  parents,  as  children  of  the  Lord  ;  for     i    Q 
that  is  but  right.     '  Honour  thy  father  and  mother ' — this  is  the     2 
first  Commandment  with  a  promise — 'so  that  thou  mayest     3 
prosper  and  have  a  long  life  on  earth.'  And  fathers,  do     4 

not  irritate  your  children,  but  bring  them  up  with  Christian 
discipline  and  instruction. 

Slaves,  obey  your  earthly  masters,  with  anxious  care,  giving     5 
them  ungrudging  service,  as  if  obeying  the  Christ ;    not  only     6 
when  their  eyes  are  on  you,  as  if  you  had  merely  to  please  men, 
but  as  slaves  of  Christ,  who  are  trying  to  carry  out  the  will  of 
God.     Give  your  service  heartily  and  cheerfully,  as  working  for    7 
the  Master  and  not  for  men  ;  for  you  know  that  eve&y  one  will    8 

i8  Prov.  33.  31  (Septuagint).    »  Gen.  a.  34.    3— s  Exod,  30,  »a ;  Deut.  5.  16, 


396  EPHESIANS,  6. 

be  rewarded  by  the  Master  for  any  honest  work  that  he  has  done, 
whether  he  is   a  slave    or  a  freeman.  And   masters, 

treat  your  slaves   in  the  same  spirit.     Give  up  threatening 
them  ;  for  you  know  that  he  who  is  both  their  Master  and  yours 
is  in  Heaven,  and  that  before  him  there  is  no  distinction  of  rank. 
The  For  the   future,   find  strength  in  your   union 

Christian's  with  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  which  comes 
Armour.  from  his  might.  Put  on  the  full  armour  of  God, 
so  that  you  may  be  able  to  stand  your  ground  against  the  strata- 
gems of  the  Devil.  For  ours  is  no  struggle  against  enemies  of 
flesh  and  blood,  but  against  all  the  various  Powers  of  Evil 
that  hold  sway  in  the  Darkness  around  us,  against  the  Spirits 
of  Wickedness  on  Hgh.  Therefore  take  up  the  full  armour  of 
God,  that,  when  the  evil  day  comes,  you  may  be  able  to  with- 
stand the  attack,  and,  having  fought  to  the  end,  still  to  stand 
your  ground.  Stand  your  ground,  then,  '  with  truth  for  your 
belt,'  and  '  with  righteousness  for  your  breast-plate,'  and  with 
the  readiness  to  serve  the  Good  News  of  Peace  as  shoes  for 
your  feet.  At  every  onslaught  take  up  faith  for  your  shield  ; 
for  with  it  you  will  be  able  to  extinguish  all  the  flaming  darts  of 
the  Evil  One.  And  receive  '  the  helmet  of  Salvation,'  and  '  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit ' — which  is  the  Message  of  God — always 
with  prayer  and  supplication.  Pray  in  spirit  at  all  times.  Be 
intent  upon  this,  with  unwearying  perseverance  and  sup- 
plication for  all  Christ's  People — and  on  my  behalf  also, 
that,  when  I  begin  to  speak,  words  may  be  given  me,  so  that 
I  may  fearlessly  make  known  the  inmost  truth  of  the  Good 
News,  on  behalf  of  which  I  am  an  Ambassador— in  chains  ! 
Pray  that,  in  telling  it,  I  may  speak  fearlessly  as  I  ought. 


V.  — CONCLUSION. 

To  enable  you,  as  well  as  others,  to  know  all  that  concerns     21 
me  and  what  I  am  doing,  Tychicus,  our  dear  Brother  and 
faithful  helper  in  the  Master's  Cause,  will  tell  you  everything. 
I  am  sending  him  to  you  on  purpose  that  you  may  learn  all     22 
about  us,  and  that  he  may  cheer  your  hearts. 

May  God,  the  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  give  our    23 
Brothers  peace,  and  love  linked  with  faith.  May  God's     24 

blessing  be  with  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  an 
undying  love. 

4  Isa.  n.  5;  59.  17.     1B  Isa.  52.  7.     I?  Isa.  59.  17;  ii.  4;  49.  a  ;  51.  16 ;  Hos.  6.  5. 


TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS. 


ST.     PAUL'S     LETTER     TO     THE 
CHRISTIANS  AT  PHILIPPI. 


WRITTEN     PROBABLY    DURING    HIS     IMPRISON- 
MENT   A~    ROME,    ABOUT    62    A.D. 


PHILIPPI  was  a  Roman  military  station  in  Macedonia,  and 
the  first  place  in  Europe  at  which  St.  Paul  is  known-tohave 
preached  (Acts  16.  12).  The  Apostle  gained  many  converts 
there,  but  his  stay  was  cut  short  by  persecution.  Subsequently 
he  twice  revisited  the  town  (Acts  20.  2,  6).  The  Philippian 
Christians  appear  to  have  cherished  a  specially  warm  affection 
for  the  Apostle.  Although  their  own  means  were  but  slender, 
they  repeatedly  contributed  to  his  support  with  great  generosity 
(Phil.  4.  15,  16).  )  Upon  hearing  of  his  imprisonment  at  Rome, 
they  sent  Epaphroditus  to  carry  their  gifts  to  him,  and  to  assure 
him  of  their  heart-felt  sympathy  (Phil.  2.  25).  While  in  Rome, 
Epaphroditus  fell  ill  ;  upon  his  recovery  St.  Paul  sent  this 
Letter  by  him  to  Philippi,  expressing  to  the  members  of  the 
Church  there  his  gratitude  for  their  kindness,  and  urging  them 
to  unity  and  humility. 

The  Letter  expresses  warm  personal  affection,  and  contains 
counsel  and  warning  to  the  Apostle's  converts,  mingled  with 
kindly  messages  and  encouragement.  It  was  written  at  a 
time  when  his  trial  before  the  Emperor  Nero  was  drawing  to 
an  end,  and  when  St.  Paul  was  daily  awaiting  the  issue. 
His  friends  had  deserted  him,  death  stared  him  in  the  face,  and 
yet  the  Letter  sounds  a  note  of  confidence  and  joy. 


TO    THE 

PHILIPPIANS. 


I . —INTRODUCTION. 

To  all  Christ's  People  at  Philippi,  with  the  Pre-     i 
Greeting.         siding  Officers  and  Assistants, 
FROM  Paul  and  Timothy,  servants  of  Christ  Jesus. 
May  God,  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bless  you,  and     2 
give  you  peace. 

Every  recollection  that  I  have  of  you  is  a  cause     3 
Apostle's     °f  thankfulness  to  God,  always,  in  every  prayer     4 
Thankfulness  that  I  offer  for  you  all — and  my  prayers  are  full  of 

and  Prayer.  jov — because  of  the  share  that  you  have  had  in     5 
spreading  the  Good  News,  from  the  first  day  that  you  received 
it  until  now.     For  of  this  I  am  confident,  that  he  who  began  a     6 
good  work  in  you  will  complete  it  in  readiness  for  the  Day  of 
Jesus  Christ.    And,  indeed,  I  am  justified  in  feeling  thus  about    ^ 
you  all ;  because  you  have  a  warm  place  in  my  heart — you  who 
all,  both  in  my  imprisonment  and  in  the  work  of  defending 
and  establishing  the  Good  News,  shared  my  privilege  with  me. 
God  will  bear  me  witness  how  I  yearn  over  you  all  with  the     8 
tenderness  of  Christ  Jesus.     And  what  I  pray  for  is  this — that     9 
your  love  may  grow  yet  stronger  and  stronger,  with  increasing 
knowledge  and  all  discernment,  until  you  are  able  to  appreciate     10 
all  moral   distinctions.       And  I  pray,  too,   that  you  may  be 
kept  pure  and  blameless  against  the  Day  of  Christ,  bearing     n 
a  rich  harvest  of  that  righteousness  which  comes  through  Jesus 
Christ,  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God. 


II. — THE  APOSTLE  IN  PRISON  AT  ROME. 

The  Results       Brothers,  I  want  you  to  realize  that  what  has     12 
of  his  im-     happened  to  me  has  actually  served  to  forward 
prisonment.  the  Good  News.     It  has  even  become  evident,  not     13 
only  to  all  the  Imperial  Guard,  but  to  every  one  else,  that  it  is  for 


400  PHII.IPPIANS,  1. 

Christ's  sake  that  I  am  in  chains.     And  besides  this,  most  of     14 
our  Brothers  have  gained  confidence  in  the  Lord  through  my 
chains,  and  now  venture  with  far  greater  freedom  to  speak  of 
God's  Message  fearlessly. 
The  a  read       ^  '1S  true  ^at  some  ^°  proclaim  the  Christ  out     15 

of  the        of  jealousy  and  opposition  ;  but  there  are  others 
Gospel.       who  proclaim  him  from  good-will.     The  latter  do     16 
it  from  love  for  me,  knowing  that  I  have  been  appointed  to 
plead  the  cause  of  the  Good  News.     The  former  spread  the     17 
news  of  the  Christ  in  a  factious  spirit,  and  not  sincerely,  think- 
ing to  add  to  the  pain  of  my  chains.      But  what  of  that  ?     Only     18 
that  in  some  way  or  other,  either  with  assumed  or  with  real 
earnestness,  Christ  is  being  made  known  ;  and  at  that  I  rejoice. 
Yes,  and  I  will  rejoice,  for  I  know  that,  through  your  prayers     19 
and  through  a  rich  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  'all 
this  will  make  for  my  Salvation.'     And   this  will  fulfil  my     20 
earnest  expectation  and  hope  that  I  shall  have  no  cause  for 
shame,  but  that,  with  unfailing  courage,  now  as  hitherto,  Christ 
will  be  honoured  in  my  body,  whether  by  my  life  or  by  my  death. 

Lifa  For  to  me  life  is  Christ,  and  death  is  gain.     But     21, 

or  what  if  the  life  here  in  the  body — if  this  brings 

Death.       me  fruit  from  my  labours  ?   Then  which  to  choose 
I  cannot  tell !     I  am  sorely  perplexed  either  way  !     My  own     23 
desire  is  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  for  this  would  be  far 
better.     But,  for  your  sakes,  it  may  be  more  needful  that  I     24 
should  still  remain  here  in  the  body.    Yes,  I  am  confident  that     25 
this  is  so,  and  therefore  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  stay,  and  stay 
near  you  all,  to  promote  your  progress  and  joy  in  the  Faith  ; 
so  that,  when  you  once  more  have  me  among  you,  you,  in     26 
your  union  with  Christ  Jesus,  may  find  in  me  fresh  cause  for 
exultation. 


III.— THE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

Under  all  circumstances  let  your  lives  be  worthy     27 
unity.        Qf  the  QOO(J  News  of  the  Christ :  so  that,  whether 
I  come  and  see  you,  or  whether  I  hear  of  your  affairs  at  a  dis- 
tance, I  may  know  that  you  are  standing  firm,  animated  by 
one  spirit,  and  joining  with  one  heart  in  a  common  struggle 
for  the  Faith  taught  by  the  Good  News,  without  ever  shrinking     28 
from  your  opponents.     To  them  this  will  be  a  sign  of  their 
Destruction  and  of  your  Salvation — a  sign  from  God.     For,  €>n     29 
behalf  of  Christ,  you  have  had  the  privilege  granted  you,  not 
only  of  trusting  in  him,  but  also  of  suffering  on  his  behalf. 
You  will  be  engaged  in  the  same  hard  struggle  as  that  which     30 
you  once  saw  me  waging,  and  which  you  hear  that  I  am 
waging  still. 

"Job  13. 16. 


PHIL1PPIANS,  2.  401 

If,  then,  any  encouragement  comes  through     i 
Humility.     un;on  w;th  Christ,  if  there  is  any  persuasive  power 
in  love,  if  there  is  any  communion  with  the  Spirit,  if  there  is 
any  tenderness  or  pity,  I  entreat  you  to  make  my  happiness     2 
complete — Live  together  animated  by  the  same  spirit  and  in 
mutual  love,  one  in  heart,  animated  by  one  Spirit.      Nothing     3 
should  be  done  in  a  factious  spirit  or  from  vanity,  but  each  of 
you  should  with  all  humility  regard  others  as  of  more  account 
than  himself,  and  one  and  all  should  consider,  not  only  their     4 
The  Great     own  interests,  but  also  the  interests  of  others.    Let     5 
Example,     the  spirit  of  Christ  Jesus  be  yours  also.     Though     6 
.the  divine  nature  was  his  from  the  beginning,  yet  he  did  not  look 
upon  equality  with  God  as  above  all  things  to  be  clung  to,  but     7 
impoverished  himself  by  taking  the  nature  of  a  servant  and 
becoming  like  men  ;    he  appeared  among  us  as  a  man,  and     8 
still  further  humbled  himself  by  submitting  even  to  death — 
to  death  on  a  cross  !     And  that  is  why  God  raised  him  to  the     9 
very  highest  place,  and  gave  him  the  Name  which  stands 
above  all  other  names,  so  that  in  adoration  of  the  Name  of     10 
Jesus  every  knee  should  bend,  in  Heaven,  on  earth,  and  under 
the  earth,  and  that  every  tongue  should  acknowledge  JESUS     n 
CHRIST  as  LORD— to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 

Following         Therefore,  my  dear  friends,  as  you  have  always     12 
this  Example,  been  obedient  in  the  past,  so  now  work  out  your 
own  Salvation  with  anxious  care,  not  only  when  I  am  with  you, 
but  all  the  more  now  that  I  am  absent.     Remember  it  is  God     13 
who,  in  his  kindness,  is  at  work  within  you,  enabling  you  both 
to  will  and  to  work.     In  all  that  you  do,  avoid  murmuring  and     14 
dissension,  so  as  to  prove  yourselves  blameless  and  innocent —     15 
'  faultless  children  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  an  evil-disposed  and 
perverse  generation,'  in  which  you  are  seen  shining  like  stars 
in  a  dark  world,  offering  to  men  the  Message  of  Life  ;  and     16 
then  I  shall  be  able  at  the  Day  of  Christ  to  boast  that  I  did  not 
run  my  course  for  nothing,  or  toil  for  nothing.  And     17 

yet,  even  if,  when  your  faith  is  offered  as  a  sacrifice  to  God, 
my  life-blood  must  be  poured  out  in  addition,  still  I  shall  rejoice 
and  share  the  joy  of  you  all ;  and  do  you  also  rejoice  and  share     18 
my  joy. 

IV. — PERSONAL  PLANS. 

I  hope,  however,  as  one  who  trusts  in  the  Lord     19 
Timothy.     jesuS;  fO  send  Timothy  to  you  before  long,  so 
that  I  may  myself  be  cheered  by  receiving  news  of  you.     For     20 
I  have  no  one  but  him  to  send — no  one  of  kindred  spirit  who 
would  take  the  same  genuine  interest  in  your  welfare.     They     21 
are  all  pursuing  their  own  aims  and  not  those  of  Christ  Jesus. 

10—11  Isa.  4S.  2  .     1*  Deut.  32.  5.     16  Isa.  49.  4. 


402  PHILIPPIANS,  2—3. 

But  you  know  what  Timothy  has  proved  himself  to  be,  and     22 
how,  like  a  child  working  for  his  father,  he  worked  hard  with 
me  in  spreading  the  Good  News.  It  is  Timothy,  then,     23 

whom  I  hope  to  send,  as  soon  as  ever  I  can  foresee  how  it  will 
go  with  me.     And  I  am  confident,  as  one  who  trusts  in  the     24 
Lord  Jesus,  that  before  long  I  myself  shall  follow.     Still  I  think     25 

it  necessary  to  send  Epaphroditus  to  you  now, 
Epapnroditus.  for  ^e  jg  mv  Brother,  fellow-worker,  and  fellow- 
soldier,  and  he  was  also  your  messenger  to  help  me  in  my 
need.     For  he  has  been  longing  to  see  you  all,  and  has  been     26 
distressed  because  you  heard  of  his  illness.     And  I  can  assure     27 
you  that  his  illness  very  nearly  proved  fatal.     But  God  had 
pity  on  him,  and  not  on  him  only  but  also  on  me,  that  I  might 
not  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow.     I  am  all  the  more  ready,  there-     28 
fore,  to  send  him,  so  that  the  sight  of  him  may  revive  your 
spirits  and  my  own  sorrow  be   lightened.     Give  him,  then,     29 
the   heartiest   of  Christian   welcomes,    and    hold   such   men 
in  great  honour.     For  it  was  owing  to  his  devotion  to  the     30 
Master's  work  that  he  was  at  the  point  of  death,  having  risked 
his  own  life  in  the  effort  to  supply  what  was  wanting  in  the 
help  that  you  sent  me. 

In  conclusion,  my  Brothers,  all  joy  be  yours  in  your  union     i 
with  the  Lord.     To  repeat  what  I  have  already  written  does 
not  weary  me,  and  is  the  safe  course  for  you. 


V. — JUDAISM  AND  CHRISTIANITY. 

The  Beware   of  those    '  dogs ' !     Beware  of  those     2 

Apostle1*      mischievous  workers  !     Beware  of  the  men  who 
warning,     mi  Dilate  themselves  !     For  it  is  we  who  are  the     3 
circumcised — we  whose  worship  is  prompted  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  who  exult  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  who  do  not  rely  upon 
external  privileges  ;  though  I,  if  any  man,  have  cause  to  rely     4 
even  upon  them. 

Tne  If  any  one  thinks  he  can  rely  upon  external 

Apostle's      privileges,  far  more  can  I  !     I  was  circumcised     5 
Experience,   when  eight  days  old  ;  I  am  an  Israelite  by  race, 
and  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  ;  I  am  a  Hebrew,  and  the  child 
of  Hebrews.     As  to  the  Law,  I  was  a  Pharisee  ;  as  to  zeal,  I     6 
was  a  persecutor  of  the  Church  ;  as  to  such  righteousness 
as   is   due   to  Law,  I   proved  myself  blameless.  But     7 

all  the  things  which  I  once  held  to  be  gains  I  have  now,  for 
the  Christ's  sake,  come  to  count  as  loss.     More  than  that,  I     8 
count  everything  as  loss,  for  the  sake  of  the  exceeding  value  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord.     And  for  his  sake 
I  have  lost  everything,  and  count  it  as  refuse,  if  I  may  but 


PHILIPPIANS,  3^4.  403 

gain  Christ  and  be  found  in  union  with  him  ;  any  righteous-    9 
ness  that  I   have  being,  not  the  righteousness  that  results 
from  Law,  but  the  righteousness  which  comes  through  faith 
in  Christ — the  righteousness  which  is  derived  from  God  and 
is  founded  on  faith.     Then  indeed  I  shall  know  Christ,  and     10 
the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  all  that  it  means  to  share 
his  sufferings,  in  the  hope  that,  if  I  become  like  him  in  his 
death,  I  may  possibly  attain  to  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,     n 
Not  that  I  have  already  laid  hold  of  it,  or  that  I  am  already  made     12 
perfect.     But  1  press  on,  in  the  hope  of  actually  laying  hold  of 
that  for  which  indeed  I  was  laid  hold  of  by  Christ  Jesus.     For     13 
I,  Brothers,  do  not  regard  myself  as  having  yet  laid  hold  of  it. 
But  this  one  thing  I  do — forgetting  what  lies  behind,  and 
straining  every  nerve  for  that  which  lies  in  front,  I  press  on  to     14 
the  goal,  to  gain  the  prize  of  that  heavenward   Call  which 
God   gave  me  through  Christ  Jesus.  Let  all  of  us,     15 

then,  whose  faith  is   mature,   think  thus.     Then,  if  on  any 
matter  you  think  otherwise,  God  will  make  that  also  plain 
to  you.     Only  we  are  bound  to  order  our  lives  by  what  we  have     16 
already  attained. 

The  Brothers,  unite  in  following  my  example,  and     17 

Apostle's     fix  your  eyes  on  those  who  are  living  by  the 
Example,     pattern  which  we  have  set  you.      For  there  are     18 
many — of  whom  I  have  often  told  you,  and  now  tell  you  even 
with  tears — who  are  living  in  enmity  to  the  cross  of  the  Christ. 
The  end  of  such  men  is  Ruin  ;  for  their  appetites  are  their     19 
God,  and  they  glory  in  their  shame  ;  their  minds  are  given  up 
to  earthly  things.     But  the  State  of  which  we  are  citizens  is  in     20 
Heaven  ;  and  it  is  from  Heaven  that  we  are  eagerly  looking 
for  a  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who,  by  the  exercise  of 
his  power  to  bring  everything  into  subjection  to  himself,  will     21 
make  this  body  that  we  have  in  our  humiliation  like  to  that 
body  which  he  has  in  his  Glory. 


VI .  — CONCLUSION. 

So  then,  my  dear  Brothers,  whom  I  am  long-     i    4 
uione.  jng.  to  see — vou  wjlQ  are  mv  jQy  ancj  mv  crowil) 

stand  fast  in  union  with  the  Lord,  dear  friends. 

I  entreat  Euodia,  and  I  entreat  Syntyche,  to  live  in  harmony,     2 
in  union  with  the  Lord  ;  yes,  and  I  ask  you,  my  true  comrade,     3 
to  help  them,  remembering  that  they  toiled  by  my  side  in 
spreading  the  Good  News  ;  and  so,  too,  did  Clement  and  my 
other  fellow-workers,  whose  names  are  'in  the  Book  of  Life.' 

All  joy  be  yours  at  all  times  in  your  union  with  the  Lord.  4 
Again  I  repeat — All  joy  be  yours.  Let  your  forbearing  spirit  5 
be  plain  to  every  one.  The  Lord  is  near.  Do  not  be  anxious  6 

3  Ps.  69.  38. 


404  PHILIFPIANS,  4- 

about  anything ;  but  under  all  circumstances,  by  prayer  and 
entreaty  joined  with  thanksgiving,  make  your  needs  known 
to  God.     Then  the  Peace  of  God,  which  is  beyond  all  human     7 
understanding,    will    stand     guard    over    your    hearts    and 
thoughts,  through  your  union  with  Christ  Jesus. 

In  conclusion,  Brothers,  wherever  you  find  anything  true  or    8 
honourable,  righteous  or  pure,   lovable  or   praiseworthy,  or 
if  '  virtue '  and  '  honour '  have  any  meaning,  there  let  your 
thoughts  dwell.     All  that  you  learnt  and  received  and  heard     9 
and  saw  in  me  put  into  practice  continually  ;  and  then  God, 
the  giver  of  peace,  will  be  with  you. 

The  oi«          ^  was  a  matter  °f  great  joy  to  me,  as  one  in     10 
from         union  with  the  Lord,  that  at  length  your  interest 

Phiiippi.      in  me  had  revived.     The  interest  indeed  you  had, 
but  not  the  opportunity.     Do  not  think  that  I  am  saying  this     n 
under  the  pressure  of  want.     For  I,  however  I  am  placed,  have 
learnt  to  be  independent  of  circumstances.      I  know  how  to     12 
face  humble  circumstances,  and  I  know  how  to  face  prosperity. 
Into  all  and  every  human  experience  I  have  been  initiated — 
into  plenty  and  hunger,  into  prosperity  and  want.     I  can  do     13 
everything  in  the  strength  of  him  who  makes  me  strong  I 
Yet  you  have  acted  nobly  in  sharing  my  troubles.     And  you  at     14, 
Phihppi  know,  as  well  as  I,  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  Good 
News — at  the  time  when  I  had  just  left  Macedonia — no  Church, 
with  the  one  exception  of  yourselves,  had  anything  to  do  with 
me  as  far  as  giving  and  receiving  are  concerned.     Indeed,     16 
even  while  I  was  still  in  Thessalonica,  you  sent  more  than  once 
to  relieve  my  wants.     It  is  not  that  I  am  anxious  for  your  gifts,     17 
but  I  am  anxious  to  see  the  abundant  return  that  will  be  placed 
to  your  account.     I  have  enough  of  everything,  and  to  spare. 
My  wants  are  fully  satisfied,  now  that  I  have  received  from     18 
Epaphroditus  the  gifts  which  you  sent   me — the  sweet  fra- 
grance of  a  sacrifice  acceptable  and  pleasing  to  God.     And     19 
my  God,  out  of  the  greatness  of  his  wealth,  will,  in  glory,  fully 
satisfy  your  every  need,  through  your  union  with  Christ  Jesus. 
To  him,  our  God  and  Father,  be  ascribed  all  glory  for  ever    20 
and  ever.     Amen. 

Give  my  greeting  to  every  one  of  the  People  of    21 
""'      Christ  Jesus.  The  Brothers  who  are  with 

me  send  you  their  greetings.     All  Christ's  People  here,  and     22 
especially  those  who  belong  to  the  Emperor's  household,  send 
theirs. 

May  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  rest  on  your    23 
souls. 


TO  TIMOTHY 
I. 


THE     FIRST     LETTER    TO 
TIMOTHY. 


[DATE  AND  PLACE  OF  WRITING  UNCERTAIN.] 


NOTHING  is  known  with  any  certainty  as  to  the  history 
either  of  this  or  of  the  other  two  '  Pastoral  Letters.' 

Timothy,  to  whom  this  and  the  next  Letter  are  addressed, 
was  the  son  of  a  Greek  father  and  a  Jewish  mother,  and  was 
converted  by  St.  Paul  from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  He 
lived  at  Lystra  in  Asia  Minor  (Acts  16.  i — 4),  joined  St.  Paul 
on  his  second  missionary  journey,  and,  according  to  this 
Letter,  was  placed  by  the  Apostle  in  charge  of  some  Church. 
Tradition  says  that  it  was  the  Church  in  Ephesus. 

The  object  of  this  Letter  is  to  guide  and  encourage  this 
young  Officer  of  the  Church  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  ;  and 
it  contains  many  general  directions  on  the  affairs  of  the  Church. 


TO 

TIMOTHY. 
I. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

Greeting.     To  Timothy,  my  true  Child  in  the  Faith,  i,  2 

FROM  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  by  the  appointment  of 

God,  our  Saviour,  and  Christ  Jesus,  our  Hope. 
May  God,  the  Father,  and  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord,  bless  you, 

and  be  merciful  to  you,  and  give  you  peace. 

warning          I  beg  you,  as  I  did  when  I  was  on  my  way  into     3 
against  False  Macedonia,  to  remain  at  Ephesus  ;  that  you  may 

Teaching.     mstruct  certain  people  there  not  to  teach  new  and 
strange  doctrines,  nor  to  devote  their  attention  to  legends  and     4 
interminable  genealogies,  which  tend  to  give  rise  to  argument 
rather  than  to  further  that  divine  plan  which  is  revealed  in 
the  Faith.    The  object  of  all  instruction  is  to  call  forth  that  love     5 
which  comes  from  a  pure  heart,  a  clear  conscience,  and  a 
sincere  faith.     And  it  is  because  they  have  not  aimed  at  these     6 
things  that  the  attention  of  certain  people  has  been  diverted  to 
unprofitable  subjects.     They  want  to  be  Teachers  of  the  Law,     7 
and  yet  do  not  understand  either  the  words  they  use,  or  the 
subjects  on  which  they  speak  so  confidently.  We  know,     8 

of  course,  that  the  Law  is  excellent,  when  used  legitimately, 
by  one  who  recognizes  that  laws  were  not  made  for  good  men,     9 
but  for  the  lawless  and  disorderly,  for  irreligious  and  wicked 
people,  for  those  who  are  irreverent  and  profane,  for  those  who 
illtreat  their  fathers  or  mothers,   for  murderers,  for  the  im-     10 
moral,  for  people  guilty  of  sodomy,  for  slave-dealers,  for  liars, 
for  perjurers,    and   for  whatever  else   is  opposed   to   sound 
Christian  teaching — as  is  taught  in  the  glorious  Good  News     n 
of  the  ever-blessed  God,  with  which  I  was  entrusted* 


408  I.  TIMOTHY,  1—2. 

I  am  thankful  to  Christ  Jesus,  bur  Lord,  who     12 
Thank'rtnness  ^as  ^een  my  strength,  for  showing  that  he  thought 
for  his* call    me  worthy  of  trust   by  appointing   me   to   his 
to  the        ministry,  though  I  once  used  to  blaspheme,  and  to     13 

netry.      persecute,  and  to  insult.     Yet  mercy  was  shown 
me,  because  I  acted  in  ignorance,  while  still  an  unbeliever; 
and  the  loving-kindness  of  our  Lord  was  boundless,  and  filled  me     14 
with  that  faith  and  love  which  come  from  union  with  Christ 
Jesus.    How  true  the  saying  is,  and  worthy  of  the  fullest  accep-     15 
tance,  that '  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners ' ! 
And  there  is  no  greater  sinner  than  I  !    Yet  mercy  was  shown     16 
me  for  the  express  purpose  that  Christ  Jesus  might  exhibit  in 
my  case,  beyond  all  others,  his  exhaustless  patience,  as  an 
example  for  those  who  were  afterwards  to  believe  on  him  and 
attain  Immortal  Life.  To  the  Immortal  King,  ever-     17 

living,  invisible,  the  one  God,  be  ascribed  honour  and  glory 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

This,  then,  is  the  charge  that  I  lay  upon  you,     18 
HIS  charge    Timothy,  my  Child,  in  accordance  with  what  was 

to  Timothy.  ..       •',        i  «•     i  ^    Ai  j    e     i  ^    •        Ai 

predicted  or  you — right  the  good  right  in  the 
spirit  of  those  predictions,  with  faith,  and  with  a  clear  con-     19 
science  ;  and  it  is  because  they  have  thrust  this  aside,  that,  as 
regards  the  Faith,  some  have  wrecked  their  lives.    Hymenaeus     20 
and  Alexander  are  instances — the  men  whom  I  delivered  over 
to  Satan,  that  they  might  be  taught  not  to  blaspheme. 


II. — GENERAL  DIRECTIONS  ON  CHURCH-MATTERS. 

First  of  all,  then,  I  urge  that  petitions,  prayers,     I 
Public       intercessions,     and     thanksgivings     should     be 

offered  for  every  one,  especially  for  kings  and  all     2 
who  are  in  high  positions,  in  order  that  we  may  lead  a  quiet 
and  peaceful  life  in  a  deeply  religious  and  reverent  spirit.    This     3 
will  be  good  and  acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  God,  our  Saviour, 
whose  will  is  that  every  one  should  be  saved,  and  attain  to  a    4 
full  knowledge  of  the  Truth.  There  is  but  one  God,     5 

and  one  mediator  between  God  and  men — the  man,  Christ 
Jesus,  who  gave  himself  as  a  ransom  on  behalf  of  all  men.     6 

This   must  be  our  testimony,  as  opportunities 
public       present  themselves  ;  and  it  was  for  this  that  I  was    7 

'  myself  appointed  a  Herald  and  an  Apostle  (I  am 
telling  the  simple  truth  and  no  lie) — a  Teacher  of  the  Gentiles 
in  the  Faith  and  Truth. 

My  desire,  then,  is  that  it  should  be  the  custom    8 
worshi0       everywhere  for  the  men  to  lead  the  prayers,  with 
hands  reverently  uplifted,  avoiding  heated  con- 
troversy. I   also   desire   that   women   should   adorn    9 


I.  TIMOTHY,  2—8.  409 

themselves  with  appropriate  dress,  worn  quietly  and  modestly, 
and   not   with  wreaths  or   gold  ornaments   for   the   hair,  or 
pearls,  or  costly  clothing,  but — as  is  proper  for  women  who     10 
profess  to  be  religious — with  good  actions.  A  woman     1 1 

should   listen  silently   to   her  teachers,    and   show   them   all 
deference.     I  do  not  consent  to  a  woman's  becoming  a  teacher,     12 
or  exercising  authority  over  a  man  ;    she  ought  to  be  silent. 
Adam  was  formed  first,  not  Eve.     And  it  was  not  Adam  who     13, 
was  deceived  ;  it  was  the  woman  who  was  entirely  deceived  and 
fell  into  sin.     But  women  will  find  their  salvation  in  mother-     ig 
hood,  if  they  never  abandon  faith,  love,  or  holiness,  and  behave 
with  modesty.     How  true  is  that  saying  !  i 

When  a  man  aspires  to  be  a  Presiding-Officer 

Pofn'dine     *n  *^e  Church,  he  is  ambitious  for  a  noble  task. 

The  Presiding-Officer  should  be  a  man  of  blame-     2 
Jess    character ;    a    faithful    husband ;    living    a    temperate, 
discreet,    and   well-ordered    life ;    hospitable,    and    a   skilful 
teacher,   not  addicted  to  drink  or  brawling,    but   of  a  for-     3 
bearing  and  peaceable  disposition,  and  not  a  lover  of  money  ; 
he  should  be  a  man   who   rules   his    own    household   well,     4 
and  whose   children    are   kept   under  control  and  are  well- 
behaved.     If  a   man   does  not  know   how  to   rule  his   own     5 
household,  how  can  he  take  charge  of  the  Church  of  God  ? 
The  Presiding-Officer  should  not  be  a  recent  convert,  that  he     6 
may  not  be  blinded  by  pride  and  fall  under  the  same  con- 
demnation as  the  Devil.     He  should  also  be  well  spoken  of  by     7 
outsiders,  that  he  may  not  incur  censure  and  so  fall  into  the 

snares  of  the  Devil.  So,  too,  Assistant-    8 

Assistant     Officers  should  be  serious  and  straightforward 

Officer*.  .  ,   .  ,         ,°.     , 

men,    not   given   to    taking   much   drink  or   to 
questionable   money-making,    but   men    who   hold  the   deep     9 
truths  of  the  Faith  and  have  a  clear  conscience.    They  should     10 
be  tested  first,  and  only  appointed  to  their  Office  if  no  objection 
is   raised   against   them.     It   should   be   the   same  with  the     n 
women.     They   should   be  serious>    not  gossips,  sober,   and 
trustworthy   in   all   respects.      Assistant-Officers    should    be     12 
faithful  husbands,  and  men  who  rule  their  children  and  their 
households  well.     Those  who  have  filled  that  post  with  honour     13 
gain  for  themselves  an  honourable  position,  as  well  as  great 
confidence    through    the    faith    that    they    place    in    Christ 
Jesus. 


III. — SPECIAL  DIRECTIONS  TO  TIMOTHY. 

I  am  writing  this  to  you,  though  I  hope  that  I  shall  come  to  14 
see  you  before  long  ;  but  in  case  I  should  be  delayed,  I  want  15 
you  to  know  what  your  conduct  ought  to  be  in  the  Household 


410  I.  TIMOTHY,  £-4. 

of  God,  which  is  the  Church  of  the  Living  God — the  pillar  and 
stay  of  the  Truth.     Yes,  and  confessedly  wonderful  are  the     16 
deep  truths  of  our  religion  ;  for — 

'  He  was  revealed  in  our  nature, 
Pronounced  righteous  in  spirit, 

Seen  by  angels, 

Proclaimed  among  the  Gentiles, 
Believed  on  in  the  world, 
Taken  up  into  glory.' 

But  the  Spirit  distinctly  says  that  in  later  times     i  ^ 
On  Dealing   there  will  be  some  who  will  fall  away  from  the 
*Te»cher8e     F^th,  and  devote  their  attention  to  misleading 

spirits,    and   to   the   teaching   of   demons,    who     2 
will   make   use   of  the  hypocrisy  *of  lying   teachers.     These 
men's  consciences  are  seared,  and  they  discourage  marriage     3 
and  enjoin  abstinence  from  certain  kinds  of  food  ;  though  God 
created  these  foods  to  be  enjoyed  thankfully  by  those  who  hold 
the  Faith  and  have  attained  a  full  knowledge  of  the  Truth. 
Everything  created    by  God    is  good,   and  there  is  nothing     4 
that   need    be   rejected  —  provided   only   that    it   is    received 
thankfully  ;  for  it  is  consecrated  by  God's  blessing  and'  ]by     5 
prayer. 

Put  all  this  before  the  Brethren,  and  you  will  be  a  good     6 
servant  of  Christ  Jesus,  sustained  by  the  precepts  of  the  Faith 
and  of  that  Good  Teaching  by  which  you  have  guided  your 
life.     As  for  profane  legends  and  old  wives'  tales,  leave  them     7 
alone.     Train  yourself  to  lead  a  religious  life  ;  for  while  the     8 
training  of  the  body  is  of  service  in  some  respects,  religion  is 
of  service  in  all,  carrying  with  it,  as  it  does,  a  promise  of  Life 
both  here  and  hereafter.   How  true  that  saying  is  and  worthy  of    9 
the  fullest  acceptance  !     With  that  aim  we  toil  and  struggle,     10 
for  we  have  set  our  hopes  on  the  Living  God,  who  is  the 
Saviour  of  all  men,  and  especially  of  those  who  hold  the  Faith. 


Dwell  upon  these  things  in  your  teaching.     Do     n, 
on  the       not  let  any  one  look  down  on  you  because  you 
or  M» lowers.  are  young>  but,  by  your  conversation,  your  con- 
duct, your  love,  your  faith,  and  your  purity,  be 
an  example  to  those  who  hold  the  Faith.     Till  I  come,  apply     13 
yourself  to  public  reading,  preaching,  and  teaching.     Do  not     14 
neglect  the  divine  gift  within  you,  which  was  given  you,  amid 
many  a  prediction,   when  the  hands  of  the  Officers  of  the 
Church  were  laid  on  your  head.    Practise  these  things,  devote     15 
yourself  to  them,  so  that  your  progress  may  be  plain  to  every 
one.    Look  to  yourself  as  well  as  to  your  teaching.     Persevere     16 
in  this,  for  your  doing  so  will  mean  Salvation  for  yourself  as 
well  as  for  your  hearers. 


I.  TIMOTHY,  &  411 

Do  not  reprimand  an  older4  man,   but  plead     i     , 
On  hi*       with  him  as  if  he  were  your  father.     Treat  the 
Reiationawith  young  men   as   brothers,    the   older  women   as     2 

^huTearcfc*1"  m°thers,   and  the  younger  women  as  sisters — 

with  all  purity.  Show  consideration  for     3 

on  the       widows — I  mean  those  who  are  really  widowed. 

Prwidow«.f'0r  But,  if  a  widow  has  children  or  grand-children,     4 

let  them  learn  to  show  proper  regard   for  the 
members  of  their  own  family  first,  and  to  make  some  return  to 
their  parents  ;  for  that  is  pleasing  in  God's  sight.     As  for  the     5 
woman  who  is  really  widowed  and  left  quite  alone,  her  hopes  are 
fixed  on  God,  and  she  devotes  herself  to  prayers  and  supplica- 
tions night  and  day.     But  the  life  of  a  widow  who  is  devoted     6 
to  pleasure  is  a  living  death.     Those  are  the  points  on  which     7 
you  should  dwell,  that  there  may  be  no  call  for  your  censure. 
Any   one   who   fails   to   provide   for   his   own  relations,   and     8 
especially  for  those  under  his  own  roof,   has  disowned  the 
Faith,   and  is  worse  than  an  unbeliever.  A  widow,     9 

when   her   name    is   added   to   the   list,    should   not   be   less 
than  sixty  years  old  ;  she  should  have  been  a  faithful  wife, 
and  be  well  spoken  of  for  her  kind  actions.     She  should  have     10 
brought   up  children,  have   shown   hospitality  to   strangers, 
have  washed  the  feet  of  her  fellow  Christians,  have  relieved 
those   who   were   in   distress,  and    devoted   herself  to   every 
kind  of  good  action.     But  you  should  exclude  the  younger     n 
widows   from   the   list ;    for,  when  they  grow  restive   under 
the   yoke   of  the   Christ,  they   want   to  marry,  and  so  they     12 
bring  condemnation  upon  themselves  for  having  broken  their 
previous  promise.     And  not  only  that,  but  they  learn  to  be  idle     13 
as  they  go  about  from  house  to  house.     Nor  are  they  merely 
idle,  but  they  also  become  gossips  and  busy-bodies,  and  talk 
of  what  they  ought  not.     Therefore  I  advise  young  widows     14 
to  marry,  bear  children,  and  attend  to  their  homes,  and  so 
avoid  giving  the  enemy  an  opportunity  for  scandal.     There     15 
are  some  who  have  already  left  us,  to  follow  Satan.     Any     16 
Christian  woman,  who  has  relations  who  are  widows,  ought 
to  relieve  them  and  not  allow  them  to  become  a  burden  to  the 
Church,  so  that  the  Church  may  relieve  those  widows  who  are 
really  widowed. 

Asto  Those  Officers  of  the  Church  who  fill   their     17 

the  officers  office  well  should  be  held  deserving  of  especial 
or  the  church,  consideration,  particularly  those  whose  work  lies 
in  preaching  and  teaching.  The  words  of  Scripture  are —  18 

'  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  while  it  is  treading  out  the 
grain,' 

and  again — 

'  The  worker  is  worth  his  wages." 

18  Deut.  25.  4. 


412  I.  TIMOTHY,  5—6. 

Do  not  receive  a  charge  against  an  Officer  of  the  Church,  19 
unless  it  is  supported  by  two  or  three  witnesses;  but  rebuke  20 
offenders  publicly,  so  that  others  may  take  warning.  I  21 

charge  you  solemnly,  before  God  and  Christ  Jesus 

°n          and  the  Chosen  Angels,  to  carry  out  these  direc- 

subjects.     tions,  unswayed  by  prejudice,  never  acting  with 

partiality.  Never  ordain  any  one  hastily,     22 

and  take  no  part  in  the  wrong-doing  of  others.      Keep  your 
life  pure.  Do  not  continue  to  drink  water  only,  but     23 

take  a  little  wine    on    account    of    the    weakness    of    your 
stomach,  and  your  frequent  ailments.  There  are  some     24 

men  whose  sins  are  conspicuous  and  lead  on  to  judgement, 
while  there  are  others  whose  sins  dog  their  steps.     In  the     25 
same  way  noble  deeds  become  conspicuous,  and  those  which 
are  otherwise  cannot  be  concealed. 

All  who  are  in  the  position  of  slaves  should     i 
AS  to        regard  their  masters  as  deserving  of  the  greatest 

Slaves.  , ,         -VT  r     /-^    j 

respect,  so  that  the  Name  of  God,  and  our 
Teaching,  may  not  be  maligned.  Those  who  have  Christian  2 
masters  should  not  think  less  of  them  because  they  are  their 
Brothers,  but  on  the  contrary  they  should  serve  them  all  the 
better,  because  those  who  are  to  benefit  by  their  good  work 
are  dear  to  them  as  their  fellow  Christians. 


IV. — CONCLUSION. 

Those  are  the  things  to  insist  upon  in  your 
T  FalM°        teaching.      Any  one  who  teaches  otherwise,  and     3 

refuses  his  assent  to  sound  instruction — the  in- 
struction  of   our   Lord  Jesus   Christ — and   to   the    teaching 
of  religion,   is  puffed  up  with  conceit,   not  really  knowing    4 
anything,  but  having  a  morbid  craving  for  discussions  and 
arguments.     Such  things  only  give  rise  to  envy,  quarrelling, 
recriminations,  base  suspicions,  and  incessant  wrangling  on     5 
the  part  of  these  corrupt-minded   people  who  have  lost  all 
hold  on  the  Truth,  and  who  think  of  religion  only  as  a  source 

of  gain.     And  a  great  source  of  gain  religion  is,     6 
wwijth        when    it   brings  contentment  with  it !     For  we    7 

brought  nothing  into  the  world,  because  we  can- 
not even  carry  anything  out  of  it.     So,  with  food  and  shelter,     8 
we  will  be  content.     Those  who  want  to  be  rich  fall  into  the     9 
snares  of  temptation,  and  become  the  prey  of  many  foolish 
and  harmful  ambitions,  which  plunge  people  into  Destruction 
and  Ruin.     Love  of  money  is  a  source  of  all  kinds  of  evil ;     10 
and  in  their  eagerness  to  be  rich  some  have  wandered  away 
from  the  Faith,  and  have  been  pierced  to  the  heart  by  many  a 
regret. 

18  Deut   19.  15. 


I.  TIMOTHY,  6.  413 

But  do  you,   Servant  of  Gods  avoid  all  this,     n 
Personal      Aim  at  righteousness,  piety,  faith,  love,  endur- 

Exhortations.  °.  r>  ii  c     j.t. 

ance,   gentleness.     Run  the  great   race   of    the     12 
Faith,  and  win  the  Immortal  Life.     It  was  for  this  that  you 
received  the  Call,  and,  in  the  presence  of  many  witnesses, 
made  the  great  profession  of  Faith.     I  urge  you,  as  in  the     13 
sight  of  God,  the  source  of  all  life,  and  of  Christ  Jesus  who 
before  Pontius  Pilate  made  the  great  profession  of  Faith — I      14 
urge  you  to  keep  his  Command  free  from  stain  or  reproach, 
until  the  Appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     This  will  be     15 
brought    about    in    his    own    time    by   the   one   ever-blessed 
Potentate,  the  King  of  all  kings  and  Lord  of  all  lords,  who     16 
alone  is  possessed  of  immortality  and  dwells  in  unapproach- 
able light,  whom  no  man  has  ever  seen  or  ever  can  see — to 
whom  be  ascribed  honour  and  power  for  ever.     Amen. 

Urge  upon  those  who  are  wealthy  in  this  life  not  to  pride     17 
themselves,   or  fix  their  hopes,  on  so  uncertain  a  thing  as 
wealth,  but  on  God,  who  gives  us  a  wealth  of  enjoyment  on 
every  side.     Urge  upon  them  to  show  kindness,  to  exhibit  a     18 
wealth  of  good  actions,   to  be  open-handed  and  generous, 
storing  up  for  themselves  what  in  the  future  will  prove  to  be     19 
a  good  foundation,  that  they  may  gain  the  only  true  Life. 

Timothy,  guard  what  has  been  entrusted  to  you.     Avoid  the     20 
profane    prattle    and    contradictions    of    what   some   miscall 
'  theology,'  for  there  are  those  who,  while  asserting  their  pro-     21 
ficiency  in  it,  have  yet,  as  regards  the  Faith,  gone  altogether 
astray. 

Blessing.  God  Muss  YOU  all. 


TO  TIMOTHY 
II. 


THE  SECOND  LETTER  TO  TIMOTHY. 


[DATE  AND  PLACE  OF  WRITING  UNCERTAIN.] 


WHAT  has  been  said  as  to  the  history  of  the  first  of  these 
two  "  Letters  to  Timothy"  applies  equally  to  the  second. 

This  Letter  contains  warnings  against  false  Teachers,  and 
exhortations  to  an  earnest  discharge  of  duty.  It  has  been 
supposed  to  be  the  last  extant  letter  written  by  St.  Paul. 


TO 

TIMOTHY.  < 

II. 

I. — INTRODUCTION. 

Greeting.     To  Timothy,  my  dear  Child,     '  1-2  1 

FROM  Paul  who,  by  the  will  of  God,  is  an  Apostle  of  Christ 

Jesus,    charged  to  proclaim  the  Life  that    comes   from 

union  with  Christ  Jesus. 
May  God,   the   Father,   and  Christ  Jesus,    our   Lord,   bless 

you,  and  be  merciful  to  you,  and  give  you  peace. 

An  Appeal  to       I  am  thankful  to  God,  whom  I  serve,  as  my    3 

Timothy,     ancestors  did,  with  a  clear  conscience,  when  I 
remember  you,  as  I  never  fail  to  do,  in  my  prayers — night  and 
day  alike,  as  I  think  of  your  tears,  longing  to  see  you,  that  my    4 
happiness  may  be  completed,  now  that  I  have  been  reminded     5 
of  the  sincere  faith  that  you  have  shown.     That  faith  was  seen 
first  in  your  grandmother  Lois  and  your  mother  Eunice,  and 
is  now,  I  am  convinced,  in  you  also.     And  that  is  my  reason     6 
for  reminding  you  to  stir  into  flame  that  gift  of  God,  which  is 
yours  through  your  ordination  at  my  hands.     For  the  Spirit     7 
which  God  gave  us  was  not  a  spirit  of  cowardice,  but  a  spirit 
of  power,  love,  and  self-control.   Do  not,  therefore,  be  ashamed     8 
of  the  testimony  which  we  have  to  bear  to  our  Lord,  nor  yet  of 
me  who  am  a  prisoner  for  him  ;  but  join  with  me  in  suffering 
for  the  Good  News,  as  far  as  God  enables  you.     It  was  God     9 
who  saved  us,  and  from  him  we  received  our  solemn  Call — 
not  as  a  reward  for  anything  that  we  had  done,  but  in  fulfil- 
ment of  his  own  loving  purpose.     For  that  love  was  extended 
to  us,  through  Christ  Jesus,  before  time  began,  and  has  now     10 
been  made  apparent  through  the  Appearing  of  our  Saviour, 
Christ  Jesus ;    who   has   made   an   end   of  Death,   and   has 
brought  Life  and  Immortality  to  light  by  that  Good  News,  of    n 
which  I  was  myself  appointed  a  Herald  and  Apostle,  and 

P 


418  II.  TIMOTHY,  1—2. 

Teacher.     That  is  why  I   am  undergoing   these   sufferings;     12 
yet  I  feel  no  shame,  for  I  know  in  whom  I  have  put  my  faith, 
and   am   convinced   that   he   is   able  to  guard  what  I   have 
entrusted  to  him  until  'That  Day.'     Keep  before  you,  as  an     13 
example  of  sound  teaching,  all  that  you  learnt  from  me  as 
you  listened  with  that  faith  and  love  which  come  from  union 
with  Christ  Jesus.    Guard  by  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is     14 
within  us,  the  glorious  trust  that  has  been  committed  to  you. 

You  know,   of  course,  that  all  our  friends  in     15 
onesiphorus.  Roman   ^sia  turned    their    backs   on    me,    and 
among  them   Phygellus  and   Hermogenes.      May  the   Lord     16 
show  mercy  to  the  household  of  Onesiphorus  ;  for  he  often 
cheered  me  and  was  not  ashamed  of  my  chains.     On  the  con-     17 
trary,  when  he  arrived  in  Rome,  he  sought  eagerly  for  me  till 
he  found  me.     The  Lord  grant  that  he  may  find  mercy  at  the     18 
hands  of  the  Lord  on  '  That  Day.'     The  many  services  that  he 
rendered  at  Ephesus  you  have  the  best  means  of  knowing. 


II. — INJUNCTIONS  TO  TIMOTHY. 

The  service  of    ^°  vou>  tnen>  my  Child,  find  strength  in  the     i 
the  Good     help  which  comes  from  union  with  Christ  Jesus  ; 

New*.        an(j  wnat  you  learnt  from  me,  in  the  presence  of    2 
many  listeners,  entrust  to  reliable  men,  who  will  be  able  in 
their  turn  to  teach  others.     Share  hardships  with  me,  as  a     3 
true  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus.     A  soldier  on  active  service,  to     4 
please  his  superior  officer,  always  avoids  entangling  himself 
in  the  affairs  of  ordinary  life.     No  athlete  is  ever  awarded  the     5 
wreath  of  victory  unless  he  has  kept  the  rules.     The  labourer     6 
who  does  the  work  should  be  the  first  to  receive  a  share  of  the 
fruits  of  the  earth.     Reflect  upon  what  I  say  ;  the  Lord  will     7 
always  help  you  to  understand.     Keep  before  your  mind  Jesus     8 
Christ,  raised  from  the  dead,  a  descendant  of  David,  as  told  in 
the  Good  News  entrusted  to  me  ;  in  the  service  of  which  I  am     9 
suffering  hardships,  even  to  being  put  in  fetters  as  a  criminal. 
But  the  Message  of  God  is  not  fettered  ;  and  that  is  why  I     10 
submit  to  anything  for  the  sake  of  God's  People,  that  they 
also  may  obtain  the  Salvation  which  comes  from  union  with 
Christ  Jesus,  and  imperishable  glory.    How  true  this  saying  is —     n 
'  If  we  have  shared  his  death,  we  shall  also  share  his  life.     If     12 
we  continue  to  endure,  we  shall  also  share  his  throne.     If  we 
should  ever  disown  him,  he,  too,  will  disown  us.     If  we  lose     13 
our  trust,  he  is  still  to  be  trusted,  for  he  cannot  be  false  to 
himselfl' 

The  Dancer  of    Remind  people  of  all  this  ;  urge  them  solemnly,     14 
controversy,  as  in  the  sight  of  God,  to  avoid  controversy,  a 
useless  thing  and  the  ruin  of  those  who  listen  to  it.     Do  your     15 


II.  TIMOTHY,  2-3.  419 

utmost  to  show  yourself  true  to  God,  a  workman  with  no 
reason  to  be  ashamed,  accurate  in  delivering  the  Message  of 
the  Truth.     Avoid  profane  prattle.     Those  who  indulge  in  it     16 
only  get  deeper  into  irreligious  ways,  and  their  teaching  will     17 
spread  like  a  cancer.     Hymenaeus  and  Philetus  are  instances 
r  of  this.     They  have  gone  completely  astray  as  regards  the     18 
Truth  ;•  they  say  that  a  resurrection  has  already  taken  place, 
and  so  upset  some  people's  faith.     Yet  God's  firm  foundation     19 
still  stands  unmoved,  and  it  bears  this  inscription — 

•THE  LORD  KNOWS  THOSE  WHO  ARE  HIS'; 
and  this — 

'  LET    ALL    THOSE    WHO     USE    THE    NAME    OF    THE     LORD 
TURN   AWAY   FROM   WICKEDNESS.' 

Now  in  a  large  house  there  are  not  only  things  of  gold  and     20 
silver,  but  also  others  of  wood  and  earthenware,  some  for  better 
and  some  for  common  use.     If,  then,  a  man  has  escaped  from     21 
the  pollution  of  such  errors  as  I  have  mentioned,  he  will  be 
like  a  thing  kept  for  better  use,  set  apart,  serviceable  to  its 
owner,  ready  for  any  good  purpose.     Flee  from  the  passions     22 
of  youth,  but  pursue  righteousness,  faith,  love,  and  peace,  in 
the  company  of  those  who,  with  a  pure  heart,  invoke  the  Lord. 
Shun  foolish  and  ignorant  discussions,  for  you  know  that  they     23 
only  breed  quarrels  ;  and  a  Servant  of  the  Lord  should  never     24 
quarrel.     He  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  be  courteous  to  every 
one,  a  skilful  teacher,  and  forbearing.     He  should  instruct     25 
his  opponents  in  a  gentle  spirit ;  for,  possibly,  God  may  give 
them  a  repentance  that  will  lead  to  a  fuller  knowledge  of 
Truth,  and  they  may  yet  come  to  a  sober  mind,  and  escape     26 
from  the  snares  of  the  Devil,  when  captured  by  the  Lord's 
Servant  to  do  the  will  of  God. 

Be  sure  of  this,  that  in  the  last  days  difficult     i    3 
lmEvi|d'ne   times  W'H  come.     Men  will  be  selfish,  mercenary,     2 

boastful,  haughty,  and  blasphemous  ;  disobedient 
to  their  parents,  ungrateful,  impure,   incapable  of  affection,     3 
merciless,  slanderous,  wanting  in  self-control,  brutal,  careless 
of  the  right,  treacherous,  reckless,  and  puffed  up  with  pride  ;     4 
they  will  love  pleasure  more  than  they  love  God  ;  and  while     5 
they  retain  the  outward  form  of  religion,  they  will  not  allow 
it  to  influence  them.     Turn  your  back  on  such  men  as  these. 
For  among  them  are  to  be  found  those  who  creep  into  homes     6 
and  captivate  weak  women — women  who,  loaded  with  sins, 
and  slaves  to  all  kinds  of  passions,  are  always  learning,  and     7 
yet   never  able  to  attain  to  a  real  knowledge  of  the  Truth. 
Just  as  Jannes   and  Jambres   opposed    Moses,  so   do   these     8 
people,  in  their  turn,  oppose  the  Truth.     Their  minds  are 
corrupted,  and,  as  regards  the  Faith,  they  are  utterly  worth- 

19  Num.  16.  5  ;  Isa.  26.  13. 


420  II.  TIMOTHY, 

less.     They  will  not,  however,  make  further  progress  ;   for    9 
their  wicked  folly  will  be  plain  to  every  one,  just  as  that  of 
Jannes  and  Jambres  was.  But  you,  Timothy,  were  a     10 

close  observer  of  my  teaching,  my  conduct,  my  purposes,  my 
faith,  my  forbearance,  my  love,  and  my  patient  endurance,  as     n 
well  as  of  my  persecutions,  and  of  the  sufferings  which  I  met 
with   at  Antioch,    Iconium,   and    Lystra.      You  know  what 
persecutions  I  underwent ;  and  yet  the  Lord  brought  .me  safe 
out  of  all !     Yes,  and  all  who  aim  at  living  a  religious  life  in     12 
union  with  Christ  Jesus  will  have  to  suffer  persecution  ;  but     13 
wicked  people  and  impostors  will   go  from    bad   to   worse, 
deceiving  others  and  deceived  themselves.      You,  however,     14 
must  stand  by  what  you  learnt  and  accepted  as  true.     You     15 
know  who  they  were  from  whom  you  learnt  it ;  and  that,  from 
your  childhood,  you  have  known  the  Sacred  Writings,  which 
can  give  you  the  wisdom  that,  through  belief  in  Christ  Jesus, 
leads  to  Salvation.     Everything  that  is  written  under  divine     16 
inspiration  is  helpful  for  teaching,  for  refuting  error,  for  giving 
guidance,  and  for  training  others  in  righteousness  ;    so  that     17 
the  Servant  of  God  may  be  perfect  himself,   and  perfectly 
equipped  for  every  good  action. 

I  solemnly  charge  you,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of  Christ     i   t 
Jesus,  who  will  one  day  judge  the  living  and  the  dead — I 
charge  you  by  his  Appearing  and  by  his  Kingdom  : — Proclaim     2 
the  Message,  be  ready  in  season  and  out  of  season,  convince, 
rebuke,  encourage,  never  failing  to  instruct  with  forbearance. 
For  a  time  will  come  when  people  will  not   tolerate   sound     3 
teaching.      They  will  follow  their  own  wishes,  and,  in  their 
itching  for  novelty,  procure  themselves  a  crowd  of  teachers. 
They  will  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  Truth,  and  give  their  attention     4 
to   legends   instead.      But   you,    Timothy,    must   always    be     5 
temperate.     Face  hardships  ;  do  the  work  of  a  Missionary  ; 
discharge  all  the  duties  of  your  Office. 

As  for  me,  my  life  blood  is  already  being  poured  out ;  the     6 
time  of  my  departure  is  close  at  hand.     I  have  run  the  great     7 
Race ;  I  have  finished  the  Course ;  I  have  kept  the  Faith.     And     8 
now  the  crown  of  righteousness  awaits  me,  which  the  Lord, 
the  just  Judge,  will  give  me  on  '  That  Day  ' — and  not  only  to 
me,  but  to  all  who  have  loved  his  Appearing. 


III.— CONCLUSION. 

Do  your  utmost  to  come  to  me  soon  ;  for  Demas, 

M*!*0"*'     'n  ^'s  ^ove  ^or  t^ie  W01"ld»  has  deserted  me.     He 
has  gone  to  Thessalonica,  Crescens  to  Galatia, 
and  Titus  to  Dalmatia.     There  is  no  one  but  Luke  with  me.     n 
Pick  up  Mark  on  your  way,  and  bring  him  with  you,  for  he  is 

8  I*a.  a.  n. 


II.  TIMOTHY,  4.  421 

useful  to  me  in  my  work.     I  have  sent  Tychicus  to  Ephesus.     12 
Bring  with  you,  when  you  come,  the  cloak  which  I  left  at     13 
Troas   with   Carpus,    and   the   books,    especially    the   parch- 
ments. Alexander,  the  coppersmith,  showed  much  ill-     14 
feeling  towards  me.     'The  Lord  will  give  him  what  his  actions 
deserve.'     Do  you   also,  be  on  your  guard  against  him,  for  he     15 
is  strongly  opposed  to  our  teaching.  At  my  first  trial     16 
no  one  stood  by  me.     They  all  deserted  me.     May  it  never  be 
counted  against  them  !     But  the  Lord  came  to  my  help  and     17 
strengthened  me,  in  order  that,  through  me,  the  proclamation 
should  be  made  so  widely  that  all  the  Gentiles  should  hear  it ; 
and  I  was  rescued  'out  of  the  Lion's  mouth.'     The  Lord  will     18 
rescue  me  from  all  evil,  and  bring  me  safe  into  his  Heavenly 
Kingdom.     All  glory  to  him  for  ever  and  ever  !     Amen. 

Give  my  greeting  to  Prisca  and  Aquila,  and  to     19 

FaiBtea"inand  the  nousehold  of  Onesiphorus. 

Erastus    remained    at    Corinth,    and     I     left     20 
Trophimus  ill  at  Miletus.  Do  your  utmost  to  come     21 

before  winter. 

Eubulus,  Pudens,  Linus  and  Claudia  send  you  their  greet- 
ings, and  so  do  all  our  Brothers. 

May  the  Lord  be  with  your  soul.     God  bless  you  all.  22 

M  Ps.  62.  12  ;  Prov.  24.  12.    W  Ps.  22.  ai. 


• 


TO  TITUS. 


THE    LETTER    TO    TITUS, 


[DATE  AND  PLACE  OF  WRITING  UNCERTAIN.] 


NOTHING  is  known  as  to  the  history  of  this  Letter. 

Titus,  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  was  a  Gentile  by  birth,  but, 
after  his  conversion,  became  a  companion  of  St.  Paul  on  his 
Missionary  Journeys,  and  often  served  as  his  Messenger 
(2  Cor.  8.  23  ;  12.  18).  According  to  this  Letter,  he  was  placed 
by  the  Apostle  in  charge  of  the  Church  in  the  island  of  Crete. 


TO 

TITUS. 

I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  Titus,  my  true  Child  in  our  one  Faith,  1-4 

""*•  FROM  Paul,  a  servant  of  God,  and  an  Apostle  of 
Jesus  Christ,  charged  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  God's 
Chosen  People,  and  their  knowledge  of  that  Truth  which 
makes  for  godliness  and  is  based  on  the  hope  of  Immortal 
Life,  which  God,  who  never  lies,  promised  before  the 
ages  began,  and  has  revealed  at  his  own  time  in  his 
Message,  with  the  proclamation  of  which  I  was  entrusted 
by  the  command  of  God  our  Saviour. 

May  God,  the  Father,  and  Christ  Jesus,  our  Saviour,  bless 
you  and  give  you  peace. 

II.  -THE  MISSION  OF  TITUS  IN  CRETE. 

My  reason  for  leaving  you  in  Crete  was  that    5 
Th»          you  might  put  in  order  what  had  been  left  un- 
*pp°i"tm«»"t  settled,  and  appoint  Officers  of  the  Church  in  the 

or    Ottlcors  .  T  in-     _«•          i     j  »T>I  y 

orth«  church,  various  towns,  as  I  myself  directed  you.     They     6 

are  to  be  men  of  irreproachable  character,  who 
are  faithful  husbands,  whose  children  are  Christians  and  have 
never  been  charged  with  dissolute  conduct  or  have  been  unruly. 
For  a  Presiding-Officer,  as  God's  steward,  ought  to  be  a  man     7 
of  irreproachable  character ;  not  self-willed  or  quick-tempered, 
nor  addicted   to   drink   or   to   brawling    or    to    questionable 
money-making.     On  the  contrary,  he  should  be  hospitable,     8 
eager  for  the  right,  discreet,  upright,  a  man  of  holy  life  and 
capable  of  self-restraint,  who  holds  doctrine  that  can  be  relied     9 
on  as  being  in  accordance  with  the  accepted  Teaching  ;  so 
that  he  may  be  able  to  encourage  others  by  sound  teaching,  as 
well  as  to  refute  our  opponents. 

P* 


426  TITUS,  1-2. 

There  are,  indeed,  many  unruly  persons — great     10 
On  Dealing    talkers  who  deceive  themselves,  principally  con- 
'reacners8    verts  from  Judaism,  whose  mouths  ought  to  be     n 

stopped  ;    for   they   upset   whole   households   by 
teaching   what  they   ought   not   to   teach,    merely   to   make 
questionable   gains.     It   was    a    Cretan — one    of    their   own     12 
teachers — who  said  : 

'  Cretans  are  always  liars,  base  brutes,  and  gluttonous  idlers ' ; 

and  his  statement  is  true.     Therefore  rebuke  them  sharply,  so     13 
that  they  may  be  sound  in  the  Faith,  and  may  pay  no  atten-     14 
tion  to  Jewish  legends,  or  to  the  directions  of  those  who  turn 
their  backs  upon  the  Truth.     Everything  is  pure  to  the  pure-     15 
minded,  but  to  those  whose  minds  are  polluted  and  who  are 
unbelievers  nothing  is  pure.     Their  minds  and  consciences 
are  alike  polluted.     They  profess  to  know  God,  but  by  their     16 
actions  they  disown  him.     They  are  degraded  and  self-willed  ; 
and,  as  far  as  anything  good  is  concerned,  they  are  utterly 
worthless. 

Do  you,  however,  speak  of  such  subjects  as     i 
Relation*  to  properly  have  a  place  in  sound  Christian  teach- 
tnoae  under  ing.  Teach  that  the  older  men  should  be     2 

MS  care,     temperate,  serious,  and  discreet ;  strong  in  faith, 
love,  and  endurance.     So,  too,  that  the  older  women  should     3 
be  reverent  in  their  demeanour,  and  that  they  should  avoid 
scandal,  and  beware  of  becoming  slaves  to  drink  ;  that  they     4 
should  teach  what  is  right,  so  as  to  train  the  younger  women 
to  love  their  husbands  and  children,  and  to  be  discreet,  pure-     5 
minded,  domesticated,  good  women,  ready  to  submit  to  their 
husbands,  in  order  that  God's  Message  may  not  be  maligned. 
And  so  again  with  the  younger  men— impress  upon  them  the     6 
need  of  discretion.     Above  all,  set  an  example  of  doing  good.     7 
Show  sincerity  in  your  teaching,  and  a  serious  spirit  ;  let  the     8 
instruction  that  you  give  be  sound  and  above  reproach,  so  that 
the  enemy  may  be  ashamed  when  he  fails  to  find  anything  bad 
to  say  about  us.     Urge  slaves  to  be  submissive  to  their  owners     9 
in  all  circumstances,  and  to  try  their  best  to  please  them. 
Teach  them  not  to  contradict  or  to  pilfer,  but  to  show  such     10 
praiseworthy    fidelity    in   everything,   as  to  recommend    the 
teaching  about  God  our  Saviour  by  all  that  they  do. 

For  the  loving-kindness  of  God  has  been  re-     n 
The  inspiring  vealed,  bringing  Salvation  for  all  ;  leading  us  to     12 

ve>      renounce  irreligious  ways  and  worldly  ambitions, 
and  to  live  discreet,  upright,  and  religious  lives  here  in  this 
present  world,  while  we  are  awaiting  our  Blessed  Hope — the     13 
Appearing   in  glory  of  our  great  God  and   Saviour,   Christ 
Jesus.     For  he  gave  himself  on  our  behalf,  to  deliver  us  from     14 

13  E  pi  men  ides — '  Oracles.' 


TITUS,  2-3.  427 

all  wickedness,  and  to  purify  for  himself  a  People  who  should 
be  peculiarly  his  own  and  eager  to  do  good. 
Directions  as      Speak  of  all  this,  and  encourage  and  rebuke     15 

to  his        with  all  authority.     Do  not  let  any  one  despise 
Teaching.    vou  Remind  your  hearers  to  respect  and     i 

obey  the  Powers  that  be,  to  be  ready  for  every  kind  of  good  work, 
to  speak  ill  of  no  one,  to  avoid  quarrelling,  to  be  forbearing,     2 
and  under  all  circumstances  to  show  a  gentle  spirit  in  dealing 
with  others,  whoever  they  may  be.  There  was,  you     3 

remember,  a  time  when  we  ourselves  were  foolish,  disobedient, 
misled,  slaves  to  all  kinds  of  passions  and  vices,  living  in  a 
spirit  of  malice  and  envy,  detested  ourselves  and  hating  one 
another.     But,  when  the  kindness  of  God  our  Saviour  and  his     4 
love  for  man  were  revealed,  he  saved  us,  not  as  the  result  of    5 
any  righteous  actions  that  we  had  done,  but  in  fulfilment  of 
his  merciful  purposes.     He  saved  us  by  that  Washing  which 
was  a  New  Birth  to  us,  and  by  the  renewing  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  which  he  poured  out  upon  us  abundantly  through     6 
Jesus   Christ   our   Saviour  ;    that,  having   been   pronounced     7 
righteous  through  his  loving-kindness,  we  might  enter  on  our 
inheritance  with  the  hope  of  Immortal  Life.  How  true    8 

that  saying  is  !  And  it  is  on  these  subjects  that  I  desire  you  to 
lay  especial  stress,  so  that  those  who  have  learnt  to  trust  in  God 
may  be  careful  to  devote  themselves  to  doing  good.  Such 

subjects  are  excellent  in  themselves,  and  of  real  use  to  man- 
kind.    But  have  nothing  to  do  with  foolish  discussions,  or    9 
with  genealogies,  or  with  controversy,  or  disputes  about  the 
Law.     They   are   useless   and    futile.     If  a  man  is  causing     10 
divisions  among  you,  after  warning  him  once  or  twice,  have 
nothing  more  to  say  to  him.     You  may  be  sure  that  such  a     11 
man  has  forsaken  the  Truth  and  is  in  the  wrong  ;  he  stands 
self-condemned. 


III.  — CONCLUSION. 

Farewell          As  soon  as  I  send  Artemas  or  Tychicus  to  you,     12 
Massages  and  join  me  as  quickly  as  possible  at  Nicopolis,  for  I 

Blessing,     j^yg  arranged  to  spend  the  winter  there.      Do     13 
your  best  to  help  Zenas,  the  Teacher  of  the  Law,  and  Apollos, 
on  their  way,  and  see  that  they  want  for  nothing.  Let     14 

all  our  People  learn  to  devote  themselves  to  doing  good,  so  as 
to  meet  the  most  pressing  needs,  and  that  their  lives  may  not 
be  unfruitful. 

All  who  are  with  me  here  send  you  their  greeting.  Give     15 

my  greeting  to  our  friends  in  the  Faith. 

God  bless  you  all. 


THE   LETTER   TO   HEBREWS. 


TO  HEBREWS 


A  LETTER  TO  JEWISH  CHRISTIANS. 


[DATE  AND  PLACE  OF  WRITING  UNCERTAIN.] 


THE  Traditions  concerning  the  authorship  of  this  Letter 
are  unreliable.  From  the  Letter  itself  it  may  be  safely 
inferred  that  the  writer  was  a  man  of  intellectual  power,  that 
he  was  familiar  with  the  modes  of  thought  prevalent  in 
Alexandria,  that  hjs  home  and  work  lay  among  Jewish 
Christians,  and  that  he  was  in  some  way  connected  with 
those  teachers  who  looked  to  St.  Paul  as  their  leader.  It  is 
certain  that  the  Apostle  Paul  was  not  the  author.  The  Letter 
has  been  attributed  with  some  show  of  probability  to  several 
writers,  in  particular  to  Barnabas  (Acts  n.  22 — 24;  13.  1—5) 
and  to  Apollos  (Acts  18.  24 — 28). 

The  Jewish  Christians  to  whom  the  Letter  is  addressed  were 
a  community  living,  possibly,  in  Palestine,  but  more  probably 
in  Alexandria  or  in  Rome  ;  and  the  primary  object  of  the 
Letter  was  to  explain,  to  those  who  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  ritual  of  the  old  Covenant,  the  fulfilment  of  its  types  in 
the  heavenly  realities  of  the  Christian  Faith. 

From  certain  passages  in  the  Letter  it  has  been  inferred 
that,  at  the  time  when  it  was  written,  the  worship  of  the 
Temple  had  not  been  entirely  swept  away,  as  it  was  by  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem  in  70  A.D. 


TO 

HEBREWS. 


I. — THE    PARAMOUNT    POSITION    OF    THE    CHRIST    AS    THE 
MEDIATOR  OF  THE   NEW  REVELATION. 

God,  who,  of  old,  at  many  times  and  in  many 
superiority  ways,  spoke  to  our  ancestors,  by  the  Prophets, 

to  Angeis.  has  in  these  latter  days  spoken  to  us  by  the  Son, 
whom  he  appointed  the  heir  of  all  things,  and  through  whom 
he  made  the  universe.  For  he  is  the  radiance  of  the  Glory  of 
God  and  the  very  expression  of  his  Being,  upholding  all 
creation  by  the  power  of  his  word  ;  and,  when  he  had  made  an 
expiation  for  the  sins  of  men,  he  '  took  his  seat  at  the  right 
hand '  of  God's  Majesty  on  high,  having  shown  himself  as 
much  greater  than  the  angels  as  the  Name  that  he  has 
inherited  surpasses  theirs. 

For  to  which  of  the  angels  did  God  ever  say — 

1  Thou  art  my  Son  ;  this  day  I  have  become  thy  Father '  ? 
or  again — 

'  I  will  be  to  him  a  Father,  and  he  shall  be  to  me  a  Son '  ? 

And  again,  when  God  brought  the  First-born  into  the  world, 
he  said — 

1  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  bow  down  before  him.' 
Speaking  of  the  angels,  he  said — 

'  He  makes  the  winds  his  angels 
And  the  fiery  flames  his  servants  ' ; 

while  of  the  Son  he  said — 

1  God  is  thy  throne  for  ever  and  ever  ; 

The  sceptre  of  his  Kingdom  is  the  sceptre  of  Justice  ; 
Thou  lovest  righteousness  and  hatest  iniquity  ; 

Therefore  God,  thy  God,  has  anointed  thee  with  the  festal  oil 
more  abundantly  than  thy  peers.' 

a  Ps.  no.  i.      s  Ps.  2.  7 ;   2  Sam.  7.  14.      8  Deut.  32.  43  (Septuagint) ;    Ps.  97.  7. 
7  Ps.  104.  4.     8-9  ps.  4S.  6-7. 


438  HEBREWS,  1-2. 

Again —  10 

'  Thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  didst  lay  the  foundation  of  the 

earth, 
And  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands. 

They  shall  perish,  but  thou  remainest ;  1 1 

As  a  garment  they  shall  all  grow  old  ; 

As  a  mantle  thou  wilt  fold  them  up,  12 

And  as  a  garment  they  shall  be  changed, 

But  thou  art  the  same,  and  thy  years  shall  know  no  end.' 

To  which  of  the  angels  has  God  ever  said —  13 

'  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand 
Until  I  put  thy  enemies  as  a  stool  for  thy  feet '  ? 

Are  not  all  the  angels  spirits  in  the  service  of  God,  sent  out  to     14 
minister  for  the  sake  of  those  who  are  destined  to  obtain 
Salvation  ? 

Therefore  we  must  give  still  more  heed  to  what  we  were     i 
taught,  for  fear  we  should  drift  away.     For,  if  the  Message     2 
which  was  delivered  by  angels  had  its  authority  confirmed,  so 
that  every  offence  against  it,   or  neglect  of  it,   met  with  a 
fitting  requital,  how  can  we,  of  all  people,  expect  to  escape,  if    3 
we  disregard  so  great  a  Salvation  ?     It  was  the  Master  who 
at   the   outset    spoke  of    this    Salvation,   and    its    authority 
was  confirmed  for  us  by  those  who  heard  him,  while  God     4 
himself  added  his  testimony  to  it  by  signs,  and  marvels,  and 
many  different  miracles,  as  well  as  by  imparting  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  he  saw  fit. 

God  has  not  given  to  angels  the  control  of  that  Future  5 
World  of  which  we  are  speaking  !  No  ;  a  writer  has  declared  6 
somewhere — 

'  What  is  Man  that  thou  should'st  remember  him  ? 

Or  a  Son  of  Man  that  thou  should'st  regard  him  ? 
Thou  hast  made  him,  for  a  while,  lower  than  angels  ;  7 

With  glory  and  honour  thou  hast  crowned  him ; 
Thou  hast  set  him  over  all  that  thy  hands  have  made  ; 

Thou  hast  placed  all  things  beneath  his  feet.'  8 

This  'placing  of  everything'  under  man  means  that  there  was 
nothing  which  was  not  placed  under  him.  As  yet,  however, 
we  do  not  see  everything  placed  under  man.  What  our  eyes  9 
do  see  is  Jesus,  who  was  made  for  a  while  lower  than  angels, 
now,  because  of  his  sufferings  and  death,  crowned  with 
glory  and  honour  ;  so  that  his  tasting  the  bitterness  of 
death  should,  in  God's  loving-kindness,  be  on  behalf  of  all 
mankind.  It  was,  indeed,  fitting  that  God,  for  whom  10 

and  through  whom  all  things  exist,  should,  when  leading 
many  sons  to  glory,  make  the  author  of  their  Salvation  perfect 

»-»  PB.  KM.  35-27.     "  p8.  1I0.  ,.     «-fl  p8.  8.  4-6. 


HEBREWS,  2-8.  433 

through  suffering.     For  he  who  purifies,  and  those  whom  he     n 

purifies,  all  spring  from  One  ;  and  therefore  he  is  not  ashamed 

to  call  them  '  Brothers.'     He  says —  12 

'  I  will  tell  of  thy  Name  to  my  Brothers, 
In  the  midst  of  the  congregation  I  will  sing-  thy  praise.' 

And  again —  13 

'A3  for  me,  I  will  put  my  trust  in  God.'. 
And  yet  again — 

'  See,  here  am  I  and  the  children  whom  God  gave  me. ' 

Therefore,   since  human  nature  is  the  common  heritage  of    14 
'  the  Children,'  Jesus  also  shared  it,  in  order  that  by  death  he 
might  render  powerless  him  whose  power  lies  in  death — that 
is,    the    Devil — and   so   might    deliver  all   those   who,    from     15 
fear  of  death,  had  all  their  lives  been  living  in  slavery.     It     16 
was  not,  surely,  to  the  help  of  the  angels  that  Jesus  came, 
but   'to   the   help   of   the   descendants   of  Abraham.'      And     17 
consequently  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  in  all  points  be 
made  like   '  his  Brothers,'   in  order  that  he  might  prove  a 
merciful  as  well  as  a  faithful  High  Priest  in  man's  relations 
with  God,  for  the  purpose  of  expiating  the  sins  of  his  People. 
The  fact  that  he    himself  suffered  under  temptation  enables     18 
him  to  help  those  who  are  tempted. 

Therefore,    Christian    Brothers,  you    who,  all     i    3 
superiority  alike,  have   received   the  Call   from  Heaven,  fix 
to  MO.OS  and  your  attention  on  Jesus,  the  Apostle  and  High 

Joshua.       Priest  of  our  Religion.     See  how  faithful  he  was     2 
to  the  God  who  appointed  him,  as  Moses  was  in  the  whole 
House  of  God.     He  has  been  deemed  worthy  of  far  higher    3 
honour  than   Moses,  just  as   the  founder  of  the    House   is 
held   in   greater  regard   than   the    House   itself.     For  every    4 
House   has   its  founder,   and  the  founder  of  the  universe   is 
God.      While  the  faithful    service    of    Moses    in   the  whole     5 
House  of  God  was  that  of  a  servant,  whose  duty  was  to  bear 
testimony  to   a    Message   still   to   come,   the  faithfulness   of    6 
Christ  was  that  of  a  Son  set  over  the  House  of  God.     And  we 
are  his  House — if  only  we  retain,  unshaken  to  the  end,  the 
courage  and  confidence  inspired  by  our  hope. 

Therefore,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  says —  7 

'  If  to-day  you  hear  God's  voice, 
Harden  not  your  hearts,  as  when  Israel  provoked  me  8 

On  the  day  when  they  tried  my  patience  in  the  desert, 
Where  your  ancestors  tried  my  forbearance,  9 

And  saw  my  mighty  deeds  for  forty  years. 

11-12  ps.   „.  22,      13-14  Isa.  8.  17-18.      is  Isa.  41.  8—9.      "  ps.   „.  aa. 
8— *  Num.  12.  7. 


434  HEBREWS, 

Therefore  I  was  sorely  vexed  with  that  generation, 
And  I  said — "  Their  hearts  are  always  straying  ; 

They  have  never  learnt  my  ways  "  ; 
While  in  my  wrath  I  swore — 

"  They  shall  never  enter  upon  my  Rest."  ' 

Be  careful,  Brothers,  that  there  is  never  found  in  any  one  of 
you  a  wicked  and  faithless  heart,  shown  by  his  separating 
himself  from  the  Living  God.  Rather  encourage  one  another 
daily—  while  there  is  a  '  To-day ' — to  prevent  any  one  among 
you  from  being  hardened  by  the  deceitfulness  of  Sin.  For 
we  now  all  share  in  the  Christ,  if  indeed  we  retain,  unshaken 
to  the  end,  the  confidence  that  we  had  at  the  first.  To  use  the 
words  of  Scripture — 

'  If  to-day  you  hear  God's  voice, 
Harden  not  your  hearts,  as  when  Israel  provoked  me.' 

Who  were  they  who  heard  God  speak  and  yet  provoked  him  ? 
Were  not  they  all  those  who  left  Egypt  under  the  leadership 
of  Moses  ?  And  with  whom  was  it  that  God  was  sorely  vexed 
for  forty  years  ?  Was  not  it  with  those  who  had  sinned,  and 
who  fell  dead  in  the  desert?  And  who  were  they  to  whom 
God  swore  that  they  should  not  enter  upon  his  rest,  if  not 
those  who  had  proved  faithless  ?  We  see,  then,  that  they 
failed  to  enter  upon  it  because  of  their  want  of  faith.  We 
must,  therefore,  be  very  careful,  though  there  is  a  promise 
still  standing  that  we  shall  enter  upon  God's  Rest,  that  none 
of  you  even  appear  to  have  missed  it.  For  we  have  had.  the 
Good  News  told  us  just  as  they  had.  But  the  Message  which 
they  heard  did  them  no  good,  since  they  did  not  share  the 
faith  of  those  who  were  attentive  to  it.  Upon  that  Rest 

we  who  have  believed  are  now  entering.     As  God  has  said — 

'  In  my  wrath  I  swore — 
"They  shall  never  enter  upon  my  Rest ;"  ' 

Although  God's  work  was  finished  at  the  creation  of  the  world  ; 
for,  in  a  passage  referring  to  the  seventh  day,  you  will  find 
these  words — 

'  God  rested  upon  the  seventh  day  after  all  his  work.' 
On  the  other  hand,  we  read  in  that  passage — 

'  They  shall  never  enter  upon  my  Rest.' 

Since,  then,  there  is  still  a  promise  that  some  shall  enter 
upon  this  Rest,  and  since  those  who  were  first  told  the 
Good  News  did  not  enter  upon  it,  because  of  their  disbelief, 
again  God  fixed  a  day.  'To-day,'  he  said,  speaking  after  a 

7-19  Ps.  95.  7— ii.       "  Num.  14.  29.       1-3  Ps.  95.  ii.      8-4  Gen.  a.  a. 
«-»  Pa.  95.  ii,  7—8. 


HEBREWS,  4-5.  435 

long  interval  through  the  mouth  of  David,   in  the  passage 
already  quoted  — 

'  If  to-day  you  hear  God's  voice 
Harden  not  your  hearts.' 

Now  if  Joshua  had  given  '  Rest  '  to  the  people,  God  would     8 
not  have  spoken  of  another  and  later  day.     There  is,  then,  a     9 
Sabbath-Rest    still   awaiting    God's    People.      For    he   who     10 
enters   upon   God's    Rest  does   himself  rest  after  his  work, 
just  as  God  did.  Let  us,  therefore,  make  every  effort     n 

to  enter  upon  that  Rest,  so  that  none  of  us  fall  through  such 
disbelief  as  that  of  which  we  have  had  an  example.  God's     12 

Message  is  a  living  and  active  power,  sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword,  piercing  its  way  till  it  penetrates  soul  and 
spirit  —  not  the  joints  only  but  the  very  marrow  —  and  detecting 
the  inmost  thoughts  and  purposes  of  the  mind.  There  is  no  13 
created  thing  that  can  hide  itself  from  the  sight  of  God. 
Everything  is  exposed  and  laid  bare  before  the  eyes  of  him 
to  whom  we  have  to  give  account. 

We  have,  then,  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  a  great  High     14 
Priest  who  has  passed  into  the  highest  Heaven  ;  let  us,  there- 
fore, hold  fast  to  the  Faith  which  we  have  professed.     Our     15 
High  Priest  is  not  one  unable  to  sympathize  with  our  weak- 
nesses, but  one  who  has  in  every  way  been  tempted,  exactly  as 
we  have  been,  but  without  sinning.     Therefore,  let  us  draw     16 
near  boldly  to  the  Throne  of  Love,  to  find  pity  and  lovje  for 
the  hour  of  need. 

HIS  Every  High  Priest,  taken  from  among  men,  is     i 

Superiority   appointed  as  a  representative  of  his  fellow-men  in 

to  Aaron.       the;r  relations   wlth    God(    to   Qffer  both   g}fts  an(J 

sacrifices  in  expiation  of  sins.     And  he  is  able  to  sympathize     2 
with  the  ignorant  and  deluded,  since  he  is  himself  subject  to 
weakness,  and  is  therefore  bound  to  offer  sacrifices  for  sins,  not     3 
only  for  the  People,  but  equally  so  for  himself.     Nor  does  any     4 
one  take  that  high  office  upon  himself,  till  he  has  been  called 
to  do  so  by  God,  as  Aaron  was.  In  the  same  way,  even     5 

the  Christ  did  not  take  the  honour  of  the  High  Priesthood  upon 
himself,  but  he  was  appointed  by  him  who  said  to  him  — 

'  Thou  art  my  Son  ;  this  day  I  have  become  thy  Father  '  ; 
and  on  another  occasion  also  —  6 

'  Thou  art  a  priest  for  all  time  of  the  order  of  Melchizedek.' 

Jesus,  in  the  days  of  his  earthly  life,  offered  prayers  and  supplica-     7 
tions,  with  earnest  cries  and  with  tears,  to  him  who  was  able 
to  save  him  from  death  ;   and  he  was  heard  because  of  his 


10  Gen.  2.  2.    lO-u  Ps.  95.  u.    »  Ps.  a.  7.    6  ps.  II0.  4. 


436  HEBREWS,  5-6. 

devout  submission.     Son  though  he  was,  he  learnt  obedience     8 
from  his  sufferings ;  and,  being  made  perfect,  he  became  to  all     9 
those  who  obey  him  the  source  of  eternal  Salvation,  while 
God  himself  pronounced  him  a  High  Priest  of  the  order  of    10 
Melchizedek. 

Now  on  this  subject  I  have  much  to  say,  but  it     1 1 
Superiority  *s  difficult  to  explain  it  to  you,  because  you  have 

of  the        shown  yourselves  so  slow  to  learn.     For  whereas,     12 
Cpol*tion*    cons'dering    the    time    that    has    elapsed,    you 
ought    to    be    teaching  others,   you   still    need 
some  one  to  teach  you  the  very  alphabet  of  the  Divine  Revela- 
tion, and  need  again  to  be  fed  with  '  milk '  instead  of  with 
'solid   food.'      For  every  one  who   still   has   to   take  'milk'     13- 
knows  nothing  of  the  Teaching  of  Righteousness  ;    he  is  a 
mere   infant.     But  '  solid   food  '  is  for  Christians  of  mature     14 
faith — those  whose  faculties  have  been  trained  by  practice  to 
distinguish  right  from  wrong.  Therefore,  let  us  leave     I    ( 

behind  the  elementary  teaching  about  the  Christ  and  press  on 
to  perfection,  not  always  laying  over  again  a  foundation  of 
repentance  for  a  lifeless  formality,  of  faith  in  God — teaching     2 
concerning  baptisms  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  and  a  final  judgement.     Yes  and,  with  God's     3 
help,   we  will.  For  if  those  who   were   once  for  all     4 

brought  into  the  Light,  and  learnt  to  appreciate  the  gift  from 
Heaven,  and  came  to  share  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  learnt     5 
to  appreciate   the   beauty   of  the    Divine  Message,   and   the 
new  powers  of  the  Coming  Age — if  those,  I  say,  fell  away,  it    6 
would  be  impossible  to  bring  them  again  to  repentance  ;  they 
would  be  crucifying  the  Son  of  God  over  again  for  themselves, 
and  exposing  him  to  open  contempt.     Ground  that  drinks  in     7 
the  showers  that  from  time  to  time  fall  upon  it,  and  produces 
vegetation  useful  to  those  for  whom  it  is  tilled,  receives  a 
blessing  from  God  ;  but,  if  it  '  bears  thorns  and  thistles,'  it  is     8 
regarded  as  worthless,  it  is  in  danger  of  being  '  cursed,'  and  its 
end  will  be  the  fire. 

But  about  you,  dear  friends,  even  though  we  speak  in  this     9 
way,  we  are  confident  of  better  things — of  things  that  point  to 
your  Salvation.     For  God  is  not  unjust ;  he  will  not  forget  the     10 
work  that  you  did,  and  the  love  that  you  showed  for  his  Name, 
in  sending  help  to  your  fellow  Christians — as  youare  still  doing. 
But  our  great  desire  is  that  every  one  of  you  should  be  equally     1 1 
earnest  to  attain  to  a  full  conviction  that  our  hope  will  be 
fulfilled,  and  that  you  should  keep  that  hope  to  the  end.    Then     12 
you  will  not  show  yourselves  slow  to  learn,  but  you  will  copy 
those  who,  through  faith  and  patience,  are  now  entering  upon 
the  enjoyment  of  God's  promises. 

»  Isn.  43.  17.    lOPs.  SIQ.  4.    7  Gen.  i.  ii— 12.    8  Gen.  3.  17— 18,  ^f" 


HEBREWS,  6-7.  487 

When  God  gave  his  promise  to  Abraham,  since  there  was  no     13 
one  greater  by  whom  he  could  swear,  he  swore  by  himself. 
His  words  were —  14 

'  I  will  assuredly  bless  thee  and  increase  thy  numbers.' 

And  so,  after  patiently  waiting,  Abraham  obtained  the  fulfil-     15 
ment  of  God's  promise.     Men,  of  course,  swear  by  what  is     16 
greater  than  themselves,  and  with  them  an  oath  is  accepted  as 
putting  a  matter  beyond  all  dispute.     And  therefore  God,  in  his     17 
desire  to  show,  with  unmistakeable  plainness,  to  those  who 
were  to  enter  on  the  enjoyment  of  what  he  had  promised,  the 
unchangeableness  of  his  purpose,  bound  himself  with  an  oath. 
For  he  intended  us  to  find  great  encouragement  in  these  two     18 
unchangeable  things,  which  make  it  impossible  for  God  to 
prove  false — we,  I  mean,  who  fled  for  safety  where  we  might 
lay  hold  on  the  hope  set  before  us.     This  hope  is  a  very  anchor     19 
for  our  souls,  secure  and  strong,  and  it  '  reaches  into  the 
Sanctuary  that  lies  behind  the  Curtain,'  where  Jesus,  our  Fore-     20 
runner,  has  entered  on  our  behalf,  after  being  made  for  all 
time  a  High  Priest  of  the  order  of  Melchizedek. 


II. — THE  PARAMOUNT  PRIESTHOOD  OF  THE  CHRIST. 

Parallel  ^  was  t^1's  Melchizedek,  King  of  Salem  and     i 

with  the       Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  who  met  Abraham 
Priesthood  of  returning  from  the  slaughter  of  the  kings,  and 

fc  gave  him  his  blessing ;  and  it  was  to  him  that    2 
Abraham  allotted  a  tithe  of  all  the  spoil.     The  meaning  of  his 
name  is  '  King  of  Righteousness,'  and  besides  that,  he  was 
also  King  of  Salem,  which  means  '  King  of  Peace.'     There  is     3 
no  record  of  his  father,  or  mother,  or  lineage,  nor  again  of 
any  beginning  of  his  days,  or  end  of  his  life.     In  this  he 
resembles  the  Son  of  God,  and  stands  before  us  as  a  priest 
whose  priesthood  is  continuous. 

Consider,  then,  the  importance  of  this  Melchizedek,  to  whom     4 
even  the  Patriarch  Abraham  himself  gave  a  tithe  of  the  choicest 
spoils.     Those  descendants  of  Levi,   who  are  from  time  to     5 
time  appointed  to  the  priesthood,  are  directed  to  collect  tithes 
from  the  people  in  accordance  with  the  Law— that  is  from 
their  own  Brothers,  although  they  also  are  descended  from 
Abraham.     But  Melchizedek,  although  not  of  this  lineage,     6 
received  tithes  from  Abraham,  and  gave  his  blessing  to  the 
very  man  who  had  God's  promises.     Now  no  one  can  dispute     7 
that  it  is  the  superior  who  blesses  the  inferior.     In  the  one  case     8 
the  tithes  are  received  by  mortal  men  ;  in  the  other  case  by  one 
about  whom  there  is  the  statement  that  his  life  still  continues. 

13-14  Gen.  aa.  16—17.      »  Lev.  16.  a— la.      *>  Ps.  no.  4.      l-»  Gen.  14.  17—19; 
Ps.  1 10.  4.     *— 10  Gen.  14.  17 — ao. 


438  HEBREWS,  7. 

Moreover,  in  a  sense,  even  Levi,  who  is  the  receiver  of  the    9 
tithes,  has,  through  Abraham,  paid  tithes  ;  for  Levi  was  still     10 
in  the  body  of  his  ancestor  when  Melchizedek  met  Abraham. 

If,    then,    Perfection    had    been    attainable    through    the     n 
Levitical  priesthood — and  it  was  under  this  priesthood  that 
the  people  received  the  Law — why  was  it  still  necessary  that  a 
priest  of  a  different  order  should  appear,  a  priest  of  the  order 
of  Melchizedek  and  not  of  the  order  of  Aaron  ?     With  the     12 
change  of  the  priesthood  a  change  of  the  Law  became  a 
necessity.     And  he  of  whom  all  this  is  said  belonged  to  quite  a     13 
different  tribe,  no  member  of  which  has  ever  served  at  the  altar. 
For  it  is  plain  that  our  Lord  has  sprung  from  the  tribe  of    14 
Judah,  though  of  that  tribe  Moses  said  nothing  about  their 
being  priests.  All  this  becomes  even  yet  plainer  when     15 

we  remember  that  a  new  priest   has   appeared,  resembling 
Melchizedek,  and  that  he  was  appointed,  not  under  a  Law     16 
regulating  only  earthly  matters,  but  by  virtue  of  a  life  beyond 
the  reach  of  death  ;  for  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  declaration —     17 
'  Thou  art  for  all  time  a  priest  of  the  order  of  Melchizedek.' 

On  the  one  hand,  we  have  the  abolition  of  a  previous  regulation     18 
as  being  both  inefficient  and  useless  (for  the  Law  never  brought     19 
anything  to  perfection) ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  the 
introduction  of  a  better  hope,  which  enables  us  to  draw  near 
to  God.  Then  again,  the  appointment  of  this  new  priest     20 

was  ratified  by  an  oath,  which  is  not  so  with  the  Levitical 
priests,  but  his  appointment  was  ratified  by  an  oath,  when  God     21 
said  to  him — 

'The  Lord  has  sworn,  and  will  not  change,  "Thou  art  a 
priest  for  all  time." ' 

And  the  oath  shows  the  corresponding  superiority  of  the  Coven-     22 
ant  of  which  Jesus  is  appointed  the  surety.  Again,  new     23 

Levitical  priests  are  continually  being  appointed,  because  death 
prevents  their  remaining  in  office  ;  but  Jesus  remains  for  all     24 
time,  and  therefore  the  priesthood  that  he  holds  is  never  liable 
to  pass  to  another.      And  that    is  why   he  is   able   to   save     25 
perfectly  those  who  come  to  God  through  him,  living  for  ever, 
as  he  does,  to  intercede  on  their  behalf. 

This  was  the  High  Priest  that  we  needed — holy,  innocent,     26 
spotless,  withdrawn  from  sinners,  exalted  above  the  highest 
Heaven,  one  who  has  no  need  to  offer  sacrifices  daily  as  those     27 
High  Priests  have,  first  for  their  own  sins,  and  then  for  those 
of  the  People.     For  this  he  did  once  and  for  all,  when  he 
offered  himself  as  the  sacrifice.     The  Law  appoints  as  High     28 
Priests  men  who  are  liable  to  infirmity ;  but  the  words  of  God's 
oath,  which  was  later  than  the  Law,  name  the  Son  as,  for  all 
time,  the  perfect  Priest. 

11—38  pg.  no.  4;  a.  7. 


HEBREWS,  8.  439 

su  erior         ^°  sum  UP  wnat  I  have  been  saying  : — Such  is     i    } 
to  the        the  High  Priest  that  we  have,  one  who  '  has  taken 

Leviticai      his  seat  at  the  right  hand  '  of  the  throne  of  God's 

'"   Majesty  in  Heaven,  where  he  ministers  in  the     2 
Sanctuary,  in  that  true  Tabernacle  set  up  by  the  Lord  and  not 
by  man.     Every  High  Priest  is  appointed  for  the  purpose  of    3 
offering  gifts  and  sacrifices  to  God  ;  it  follows,  therefore,  that 
this  High  Priest  must  have  some  offering  to  make.     If  he     4 
were,  however,  still   upon    earth,  he    would   not  even   be  a 
priest,  since  there  are  already  priests  who  offer  the  gifts  as 
the  Law  directs.     (These  priests,  it  is  true,  are  engaged  in  a     5 
service  which  is  only  a  copy  and  shadow  of  the  heavenly 
realities,  as  is  shown  by  the  directions  given  to  Moses  when  he 
was  about  to  construct  the  Tabernacle.      '  Look  to   it,'  are 
the  words,   '  that  thou  make  every  part  in  accordance  with 
the    pattern    shown    thee    on   the   mountain.')      But  Jesus,     6 
as  we  see,  has  obtained  a  ministry  as  far  excelling  theirs, 
as  the   Covenant  of  which   he   is   the    intermediary,  based, 
as   it  is,    on   better   promises,  excels  the   former   Covenant. 
If  that  first  Covenant  had  been  faultless,  there  would  have     7 
been  no  occasion  for  a  second.     But,  finding  fault  with  the     8 
people,  God  says— 

'  "Behold,  a  time  is  coming,"  says  the  Lord, 

"When  I  will   ratify  a  new  Covenant  with    the  People   of 

Israel  and  with  the  People  of  Judah — 

Not  such  a  Covenant  as  I  made  with  their  ancestors  9 

On  the  day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand  to  lead  them  out 

of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
For  they  did  not  abide  by  their  Covenant  with  me, 

And  therefore  I  disregarded  them,"  says  the  Lord. 
"  This  is  the  Covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  People  of  Israel      10 

After  those  days,"  says  the  Lord. 
"  I  will  impress  my  laws  on  their  minds, 

And  will  inscribe  them  on  their  hearts  ; 
And  I  will  be  their  God, 

And  they  shall  be  my  People. 
There   shall   be    no  need  for  every  man  to  instruct  his  fellow-      n 

citizen, 
Or  for  a  man  to  say  to  his  Brother  '  Learn   to   know   the 

Lord ' ; 
For  every  one  will  know  me, 

From  the  lowest  to  the  highest. 

For  I  will  be  merciful  to  their  wrong-doing's,  12 

And  I  will  no  longer  remember  their  sins."  ' 

By  speaking  of  a  'new'  Covenant,  God  at  once  renders  the     13 
former  Covenant  obsolete ;  and  whatever  becomes  obsolete  and 
loses  its  force  is  virtually  annulled. 

1  Ps.  no.  i.     2  Num.  34.  6.     B  Exod.  25.  40.    8—13  Jer,  ^It  3, — -^ 


440  HEBREWS,  9. 


III. — THE  SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  NEW   REVELATION  TO 
THE  OLD. 

It   is   true   that  even  the  first  Covenant  had     i 
A*  regards  it*  its    regulations    for    divine     worship,     and     its 

Sanctuary — though  only  a  material  one.     For  a     2 
Tabernacle  was  constructed,  with  an  outer  part  which  con- 
tained the  stand  for  the  lamps,  and  the  table,  and  the  con- 
secrated bread.     This  is  called  the  Sanctuary.     The  part  of    3 
the  Tabernacle  behind  the  second  Curtain  is  called  the  Inner 
Sanctuary.     In  it  is  the  gold  incense-altar,  and  the  Ark  con-     4 
taining  the  Covenant,  completely  covered  with  gold.     In  the 
Ark   is   a   gold   casket   containing   the   m-anna,  Aaron's  rod 
that   budded,    and  the  tablets  on  which   the  Covenant  was 
written  ;    while  above  it,   and  overshadowing  the  Cover  on     5 
which    atonement    was    made,    are    the    Cherubim    of    the 
Presence.     But    I    must   not  now  dwell  on  these  things  in 
detail.  Such,     then,     was    the    arrangement    of    the     6 

Tabernacle.     Into  the  outer  part  priests  are  constantly  going, 
in  the  discharge  of  their  sacred  duties  ;  but  into  the  inner  only     7 
the  High  Priest  goes,  and  that  but  once  a  year,  and  never 
without  taking  the  blood  of  a  victim,  which  he  offers  on  his 
own  behalf,  and  on  behalf  of  the  errors  of  the  People.     By     8 
this   the    Holy   Spirit   is   teaching    that    the    way    into    the 
Sanctuary   was   hidden,    as   long  as   the   outer   part   of  the 
Tabernacle  still  remained.     For  that  was  only  a  type,  to  con-     9 
tinue  down  to  the  present  time  ;  and,  in  keeping  with  it,  both 
gifts  and  sacrifices  are  offered,  though  incapable  of  satisfying 
the  conscience  of  the  worshipper  ;    the  whole  system  being     10 
concerned  only  with  food  and  drink  and  various  ablutions — 
external  ceremonials  imposed  until  the  coming  of  the  New 
Order. 

But,  when  Christ  came,  he  appeared  as  High     n 
*•  •••«ard«     Priest     of    that     Better     System     which      was 
"'iTuHty!*0   established  ;  and  he  entered  through  that  nobler 
and    more   perfect    '  Tabernacle,'    not   made    by 
human  hands— that  is  to  say,  not  a  part  of  this  present  crea- 
tion.    Nor  was  it  with  the  blood  of  goats  and  calves,  but  with     12 
his  own  blood,   that  he  entered,   once  and  for  all,  into  the 
Sanctuary,  and  obtained  our  eternal  deliverance.     For,  if  the     13 
blood  of  goats  and  bulls,  and  the  sprinkling  of  the  ashes  of  a 
heifer,   purify  those  who  have  been  defiled   (as  far  as  cere- 
monial purification  goes),  how  much  more  will  the  blood  of  the     14 
Christ,  who,  through  his  eternal  Spirit,  offered  himself  up  to 
God  as  a  victim  without  blemish,  purify  our  consciences  from 
a  lifeless  formality,  and  fit  us  for  the  service  of  the  Living 
God  I  And  that  is  why  he  is  the  intermediary  of  a  new     15 

Covenant ;  In  order  that,  as  a  death  has  taken  place  to  effect  a 


HEBREWS,  9-1O.  441 

deliverance  from  the  offences  committed  under  the  first  Coven- 
ant, those  who  have  received  the  Call  may  obtain  the  eternal 
inheritance  promised  to  them.    Whenever  such  a  Covenant  as  a     16 
will  is  in  question,  the  death  of  the  testator  must  of  necessity 
be  alleged.      For   such   a  Covenant  takes  effect  only  upon     17 
death  ;   it  does  not  come  into  force  as  long  as  the  testator  is 
alive.  This  explains  why  even  the  first  Covenant  was     18 

not  ratified  without  the  shedding  of  blood.     For,  when  every     19 
command  had  been  announced  to  all  the  people  by  Moses  in 
accordance  with  the  Law,  he  took  the  blood  of  the  calves  and 
of  the  goats,  with  water,  scarlet  wool,  and  a  bunch  of  hyssop, 
and  sprinkled  even  the  Book  of  the  Law,  as  well  as  all  the 
people,  saying,  as  he  did  so — "This  is  the  blood  that  renders     20 
valid  the  Covenant  which  God  has  commanded  to  be  made 
with  you."     And  in  the  same  way  he  also  sprinkled  with  the     21 
blood  the  Tabernacle  and  all  the  things  that  were  used  in 
public  worship.    Indeed,  under  the  Law,  almost  everything  is     22 
purified  with  blood  ;  and,  unless  blood  is  shed,  no  forgiveness 
is  to  be  obtained. 

While,  then,  it  was  necessary  for  the  copies  of    23 
«•  regard.    the   heavenly   realities  to   be   purified    by    such 
'Vrielrt!*      means  as  these,  the  heavenly  realities  themselves 

required  better  sacrifices.     For  it  was  not  into  a     24 
Sanctuary  made  by  human  hands,  which  merely  foreshadowed 
the  true  one,  that  Christ  entered,  but  into  Heaven  itself,  that 
he  might  now  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  on  our  behalf. 
Nor  yet  was  it  to  offer  himself  many  times,  as  year  after  year     25 
the  High  Priest  entered  the  Sanctuary  with  an  offering  of 
blood — but  not  his  own  blood  ;  for  then  Christ  would  have  had     26 
to  undergo  death  many  times  since  the  creation  of  the  world. 
But  now,  once  and  for  all,  at  the  close  of  the  age,  he  has 
appeared,  in  order  to  abolish  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself. 
And,  as  it  is  ordained  for  men  to  die  but  once  (death  being     27 
followed  by  judgement),  so  it  is  with  the  Christ.     He  was     28 
offered  up  once  and  for  all,  to  '  bear  away  the  sins  of  many' ; 
and  the  second  time  he  will  appear — but  without  any  burden 
of  sin — to  those  who  are  waiting  for  him,  to  bring  Salvation. 

The  Law,  though  able  to  foreshadow  the  Better     i 
*•  «-*«ard«    System  which  was  coming,  never  had  its  actual 
sacrmco*.    substance.      Its    priests,    with    those    sacrifices 
which  they  offer  continuously  year  after  year,  can 
never  make  those  who  come  to  worship  perfect.     Otherwise,     2 
would  not  the  offering  of  these  sacrifices  have  been  abandoned, 
as    the    worshippers,     having    been    once    purified,     would 
have  had  their  consciences  clear  from   sins  ?     But,    on   the     3 
contrary,  these  sacrifices  recall  their  sins  to  mind  year  after 
year.     For  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  is  powerless  to  remove     4 

»  Exod.  34.  8.    a*  Isa.  53.  xa. 


442  HEBREWS,  1O. 

sins.  That  is  why,  when  he  was  coming  into  the  world,     5 

the  Christ  declared — 

'  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  dost  not  desire,  but  thou  dost  pro- 
vide for  me  a  body  ; 
Thou  dost  take  no  pleasure  in  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices     6 

for  sin. 
So  I  said,  "See,  I  have  come"  (as  is  written  of  me  in  the  pages     7 

of  the  Book), 
"  To  do  thy  will,  O  God."' 

First  come   the  words — '  Thou   dost   not  desire,  nor  dost    8 
thou  take  pleasure  in,  sacrifices,   offerings,  burnt  offerings, 
and  sacrifices  for  sin '    (offerings  regularly  made  under  the 
Law),  and  then  there  is  added — 'See,  I  have  come  to  do  thy     9 
will.'     The  former  sacrifices  are  set  aside  to  be  replaced  by 
the  latter.     And  it  is  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  will  of  God  that     10 
we  have  been  purified  by  the  sacrifice,  once  and  for  all,  of 
the  body  of  Jesus  Christ.  Every  other  priest  stands  day     1 1 

after  day  at  his  ministrations,  and  offers  the  same  sacrifices 
over  and  over  again — sacrifices  that  can  never  take  sins  away. 
But  this  priest,  after  he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins,     12 
which  should  serve  for  all  time,   '  took  his  seat  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,'  and  has  since  then  been  waiting  '  for  his  enemies     13 
to  be  put  as  a  stool  for  his  feet.'     By  a  single  offering  he.     14 
has  made   perfect   for   all   time   those  who   are   being   puri- 
fied. We  have  also  the  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     15 
For,  after  saying — 

'  "  This  is  the  Covenant  that  I  will  make  with  them  16 

After  those  days,''  says  the  Lord  ; 
"  I  will  impress  my  laws  on  their  hearts, 

And  will  inscribe  them  on  their  minds,"  ' 

then  we  have — 

'And  their  sins  and  their  iniquities  I  will  no  longer  remember.'       17 

And,  when  these  are  forgiven,  there  is  no  further  need  of  an     18 
offering  for  sin. 


IV. — ENCOURAGEMENT  AND  WARNING  BASED  ON  THE 
PREVIOUS  TEACHING. 

.  Therefore,  Brothers,  since  we  may  enter  the  Sanctuary  with  19 
confidence,  in  virtue  of  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  the  way  which 

he  inaugurated  for  us — a  new  and  living  way,  a  way  through  20 

the  Sanctuary  Curtain  (that  is,  his  human  nature) ;  and,  since  21 

we  have  in  him  '  a  great  priest  set  over  the  House  of  God,'  let  22 

»-»«  P«.  40.  6-8.      >»-»  p9.  II0.  ,.      16-17  J^r.  31.  33—34.      21  Zech.  6.  11—13  • 
Num.  la.  7. 


HEBREWS,  10.  443 

us  draw  near  to  God  in  all  sincerity  of  heart  and  in  perfect 
faith,  with  our  hearts  purified  by  the  sprinkled  blood  from  all 
consciousness  of  wrong,  and  with  our  bodies  washed  with 
pure  water.     Let  us  maintain  the  confession  of  our  hope  un-     23 
shaken,  for  he  who  has  given  us  his  promise  will  not  fail  us. 
Let  us  vie  with  one  another  in  a  rivalry  of  love  and  noble     24 
actions.     And  let  us  not,  as  some  do,  cease  to  meet  together ;     25 
but,  on  the  contrary,  let  us  encourage  one  another,  and  all  the 
more,  now  that  you  see  the  Day  drawing  near. 

Remember,  if  we  sin  willfully  after  we  have  gained  a  full     26 
knowledge  of  the  Truth,  there  can  be  no  further  sacrifice  for 
sin  ;  there  is  only  a  fearful  anticipation  of  judgement,  and  a     27 
burning  indignation  which  will  destroy  all  opponents.     When     28 
a  man  disregarded  the  Law  of  Moses,  he  was,  on  the  evidence 
of  two  or  three  witnesses,  put  to  death  without  pity.     How     29 
much  worse  then,  think  you,  will  be  the  punishment  deserved 
by  those  who  have  trampled  underfoot  the  Son  of  God,  who 
have  treated  the  blood  that  rendered  the  Covenant  valid — 
the  very  blood  by  which  they  were  purified — as  of  no  account, 
and  who  have  outraged  the  Spirit  of  Love  ?  We  know  who  it     30 
was  that  said — 

'  It  is  for  me  to  avenge,  I  will  requite '  ; 

and  again — 

'  The  Lord  will  judge  his  people.' 

It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Living  God.        31 
Call  to   mind   those   early  days   in   which,    after  you  had     32 
received   the    Light,    you    patiently    underwent  a   long  and 
painful   conflict.     Sometimes,  in   consequence  of  the   taunts     33 
and  injuries  heaped  upon  you,  you  became  a  public  spectacle  ; 
and  sometimes  you  suffered  through  having  shown  yourselves 
to  be  the  friends  of  men  who  were  in  the  very  position  in 
which  you  had  been.     For  you  not  only  sympathised  with     34 
those  who  were  in  prison,  but  you  even  took  the  confiscation  of 
your  possessions  joyfully,  knowing,  as  you  did,  that  you  had 
in  yourselves  a  greater  possession  and  a  lasting  one.  Do     35 

not,  therefore,  abandon  the  confidence  that  you  have  gained, 
for  it  has  a  great  reward  awaiting  it.     You  still  have  need  of    36 
patient  endurance,  in  order  that,  when  you  have  done  God's 
will,  you  may  obtain  the  fulfilment  of  his  promise. 

'  For  there  is  indeed  but  a  very  little  while  37 

Ere  He  who  is  Coming  will  have  come,  without  delay  ; 
And  through  faith  the  Righteous  man  shall  find  his  Life,  38 

But,  if  a  man  draws  back,  my  heart  can  find  no  pleasure  in 
him.' 

But  we  do  not  belong  to  those  who  draw  back,  to  their  Ruin,     39 
but  to  those  who  have  faith,  to  the  saving  of  their  souls. 

27  Isa.  26.  ii  (Septuagint).      28  Deut.  17.  6.     2»  Exod.  24.  8.     30  Deut.  32.  35—36. 
37-39  Isa.  26.  20  ;    Hab.  2.  3.  4. 


444  HEBREWS,  11. 

V. — HEROES  OF  FAITH. 

Faith  is  the  realization  of  things- hoped  for — the 
T"o*  Faith!''    Pr°°f  of  things  not  seen.     And  it  was  for  faith 

that  the  men  of  old  were  renowned. 

Faith  enables  us  to  perceive  that  the  universe  was  created 
at  the  bidding  of  God— so  that  we  know  that  what  we  see  was 
not  made  out  of  visible  things.  Faith  made  the  sacrifice 

which  Abel  offered  to  God  a  better  sacrifice  than  Cain's,  and  won 
him  renown  as  a  righteous  man,  God  himself  establishing 
his  renown  by  accepting  his  gifts  ;  and  it  is  by  the  example 
of  his  faith  that  Abel,  though  dead,  still  speaks.  Faith 

led  to  Enoch's  removal  from  earth,  that  he  might  not  experi- 
ence death.  '  He  could  not  be  found  because  God  had 
removed  him.'  For,  before  his  removal,  he  was  renowned 
as  having  pleased  God  ;  but  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  him,  for  he  who  comes  to  God  must  believe  that  God 
exists,  and  that  he  rewards  those  who  seek  for  him.  It 

was  faith  that  enabled  Noah,  after  he  had  received  the  divine 
warning  about  what  could  not  then  be  foreseen,  to  build,  in 
reverent  obedience,  an  ark  in  which  to  save  his  family.  By 
his  faith  he  condemned  the  world,  and  became  possessed  of 
that  righteousness  which  follows  upon  faith.  It  was 

faith  that  enabled  Abraham  to  obey  the  Call  that  he  received, 
and  to  set  out  for  the  place  which  he  was  afterwards  to  obtain 
as  his  own  ;  and  he  set  out  not  knowing  where  he  was 
going.  It  was  faith  that  made  him  go  to  live  as  an 

emigrant  in  the  Promised  Land — as  in  a  strange  country — 
living,  there  in  tents  with  Isaac  and  Jacob,  who  shared  the 
promise  with  him.  For  he  was  looking  for  the  City  with  the  sure 
foundations,  whose  architect  and  builder  is  God.  Again, 

it  was  faith  that  enabled  Sarah  to  conceive  (though  she  was 
past  the  age  for  child-bearing),  because  she  felt  sure  that  he 
who  had  given  her  the  promise  would  not  fail  her.  And  so 
from  one  man — and  that  when  his  powers  were  dead — there 
sprang  a  people  as  numerous  '  as  the  stars  in  the  heavens  or 
the  countless  grains  of  sand  upon  the  shore.' 

All  these  died  sustained  by  faith.  They  did  not  obtain  the 
promised  blessings,  but  they  saw  them  from  a  distance  and 
welcomed  the  sight,  and  they  acknowledged  themselves  to  be 
only  aliens  and  strangers  on  the  earth.  Those  who  speak 
thus  show  plainly  that  they  are  seeking  their  fatherland.  If 
they  had  been  thinking  of  the  land  that  they  had  left,  they 
could  have  found  opportunities  to  return.  But  no,  they  were 
longing  for  a  better,  a  heavenly,  land  !  And  therefore  God 
was  not  ashamed  to  be  called  their  God  ;  indeed  he  had 
already  prepared  them  a  city. 

4  Gen.    4.    4.      »— •  Gen.   5.    34.      8  Gen.    la,    i.      la  Gen.   aa.    17 ;    31.    la. 
ls  i  Chron.  39.  15 ;  P«.  39.  la ;  Gen.  33.  4. 


HEBREWS,  11.  445 

It  was  faith  that  enabled  Abraham,  when  put  to  the  test,  to     17 
offer  Isaac  as  a  sacrifice  —  he  who  had  received  the  promises 
offering  up  his  only  son,  of  whom  it  had  been  said  —  18 

'  It  is  through  Isaac  that  there  shall  be  descendants  to  bear 
thy  name.' 

For  he  argued  that  God  was  able  even  to  raise  a  man  from     19 
the  dead  —  and  indeed,   figuratively  speaking,    Abraham  did 
receive  Isaac  back  from  the  dead.  It  was  faith  that    20 

enabled  Isaac  to  bless  Jacob  and  Esau,  even  with  regard  to 
the  future.  Faith  enabled  Jacob,  when  dying,  to  give  21 

his  blessing  to  each  of  the  sons  of  Joseph,  and  '  to  bow  himself 
in  worship  as  he  leant  upon  the  top  of  his  staff.  '  Faith  22 

caused  Joseph,  when  his  end  was  near,  to  speak  of  the  future 
migration  of  the  Israelites,  and  to  give  instructions  with  regard 
to  his  bones.  Faith  caused  the  parents  of  Moses  to  hide  23 

the  child  for  three  months  after  his  birth,  for  they  saw  that  he 
was  a  beautiful  child  ;  and  they  would  not  respect  the  King's 
order.  It  was  faith  that  caused  Moses,  when  he  was  24 

grown   up,    to   refuse   the   title   of  '  Son   of  a    Daughter  of 
Pharaoh.'    He  preferred  sharing  the  hardships  of  God's  People     25 
to  enjoying  the  short-lived  pleasures  of  sin.     For  he  counted     26 
'  the  reproaches  that  are  heaped  upon  the  Christ  '  of  greater 
value  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt,  looking  forward,  as  he  did, 
to  the  reward  awaiting  him.  Faith  caused  him  to  leave    27 

Egypt,  though  undaunted  by  the  King's  anger,  for  he  was  . 
strengthened  in  his  endurance  by  the  vision  of  the  invisible 
God.  Faith  led  him  to  institute  the  Passover  and  the     28 

Sprinkling  of  the  Blood,  so  that  the  Destroyer  might  not 
touch  the  eldest  children  of  the  Israelites.  Faith  enabled  29 

the  people  to  cross  the  Red  Sea,  as  if  it  had  been  dry  land, 
while  the  Egyptians,  when  they  attempted  to  do  so,  were 
drowned.  Faith  caused  the  walls  of  Jericho  to  fall  after  30 

being   encircled  for  seven  days.  Faith  saved  Rahab,     31 

the  prostitute,  from  perishing  with  the  unbelievers,  after  she 
had  entertained  the  spies  with  friendliness. 

Need    I    add   anything   more  ?     Time   would  fail   me   if  I     32 
attempted  to  relate  the  stories  of  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson,  and 
Jephthah,  and  those   of  David,  Samuel,    and   the  Prophets. 
By  their  faith   they   subdued    kingdoms,  ruled   righteously,     33 
gained  the  fulfilment  of  God's  promises,  '  shut  the  mouths  of 
lions,'  quelled  the  fury  of  the  flames,  escaped  the  edge  of  the     34 
sword,    found  strength  in  the   hour  of  weakness,    displayed 
their   prowess   in  war,  and    routed  hostile  armies.     Women     35 
received  back  their  dead  raised  to  life.     Some  were  tortured 
on  the  wheel,  and  refused  release  in  order  that  they  might 
rise  to  a  better  life.     Others  had  to  face  taunts  and  blows,     36 


"  Gen.  23.  i,  2.  6.     18  Gen.  ai.  ia.     210^.47.31.     =»  E 
»  ps.  89.  50,  51  ;  69.  9.     28  Exod.  ia.  21—23. 


=»  Exod.  2.  a.     24  Exod.  a.  n 
an-  6-  **- 


446  HEBREWS,  11-12. 

and  even   chains   and  imprisonment.     They  were   stoned  to     37 
death,  they  were  tortured,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  they  were 
put  to  the  sword  ;  they  wandered  about  clothed  in  the  skins 
of  sheep   or  goats,    destitute,    persecuted,    ill-used — men   of    38 
whom  the  world  was  not  worthy — roaming  in  lonely  places, 
and  on  the  mountains,  and  in  caves  and  holes  in  the  ground. 

Yet,  though  they  all  won  renown  by  their  faith,  they  did     39 
not  obtain  the  final  fulfilment  of  God's  promise  ;  since  God     40 
had  in  view  some  better  thing  for  us,  that  they,  apart  from  us, 
should  not  attain  perfection. 

The  Encourage-      Seeing,  therefore,  that  there  is  on  every  side     i 
ment  of  their  of  us  such  a  throng  of  witnesses,  let  us  also  lay 
Endurance,     aside  everything  that  hinders  us,  and  the   sin 
that  clings  about  us,  and  run  with  patient  endurance  the  race 
that  lies  before  us,  our  eyes  fixed  upon  Jesus,  the  Leader  and     2 
perfect  Example  of  our  faith,  who,  for  the  joy  that  lay  before 
him,  endured  the  cross,  heedless  of  its  shame,  and  now  '  has 
taken  his  seat  at  the  right  hand' of  the  throne  of  God.    Weigh     3 
well  the  example  of  him  who  had  to  endure  such  opposition 
from  'men  who  were  sinning  against  themselves,' 

of'DiBc'r'n'ne  so   t^iat  you   snou^   not   grow  weary  or  faint- 
hearted. You  have  not  yet,  in  your  struggle     4 
with  sin,  resisted  to  the  death  ;  and  you  have  forgotten  the     5 
encouraging  words   which  are   addressed   to   you   as   God's 
Children — 

'  My  child,  think  not  lig-htly  of  the  Lord's  discipline, 

Do  not  despond  when  he  rebukes  you  ; 

For  it  is  him  whom  he  loves  that  he  disciplines,  6 

And  he  chastises  every  child  whom  he  acknowledges.' 

It  is  for  your  discipline  that  you  have  to  endure  all  this.  God     7 
is  dealing  with  you  as  his  Children.     For  where  is  there  a 
child  whom  his  father  does  not  discipline  ?     If  you  are  left     8 
without  that  discipline,  in  which  all  children  share,  it  shows 
that  you  are  bastards,  and  not  true  Children.     Further,  when     9 
our  earthly  fathers  disciplined  us,  we  respected  them.     Shall 
we  not,  then,  much  rather  yield  submission  to  the  Father  of 
souls,  and  live  ?     Our  fathers  disciplined  us  for  only  a  short     10 
time  and  as  seemed  best   to  them  ;    but   God  disciplines  us 
for  our  true   good,  to  enable  us  to  share  his   holiness.     No     n 
discipline   is   pleasant   at   the   time  ;    on    the   contrary,  it  is 
painful.     But  afterwards  its  fruit  is  seen  in  the  peacefulness 
of  a  righteous  life  which  is  the  lot  of  those  who  have  been 
trained    under   it.  Therefore    'lift    again    the   down-     12 

dropped  hands,   and  straighten  the  weakened  knees  ;  make     13 
straight  paths  for  your  feet,'  so  that  the  lame  limb  may  not 
be  put  out  of  joint,  but  rather  be  cured. 

3  P».   no.  i.      3  Num.   16.  38.      »-«  Prov.  3.  n— ia.       ]2  Isa.  35.  3  (Hebrew). 
«  Prov.  4.  a6  (Septuagint). 


HEBREWS,  12.  447 


VI .  — CONCLUSION. 

Try  earnestly  to  live  at  peace  with  every   one,     14 
Exhortations.  and  tQ  attajn  to  tilat  pur;ty  without  which  no  one 

will   see  the    Lord.     Take  care  that  no  one  fails  to  use  the     15 
loving  help  of  God,  'that  no  bitterness  is  allowed  to  take  root 
and  spring  up,  and  cause  trouble,'  and  so  poison  the  whole 
community.     Take  care  that  no   one  becomes   immoral,    or     16 
irreligious   like    Esau,  who  sold  his  birthright  for  a  single 
meal.     For  you  know  that  even  afterwards,  when  he  wished     17 
to  claim  his  father's  blessing,  he  was  rejected— for  he  never 
found  an  opportunity  to  repair  his  error — though  he  begged 
for  the  blessing  with  tears. 

It  is  not  to  tangible  '  flaming  fire '  that  you     18 
img*      have  drawn  near,  nor  to  '  gloom,  and  darkness, 
and  storm,  and  the  blast  of  a  trumpet,  and  an  audible  voice.'     19 
Those  who  heard  that  voice  entreated  that  they  might  hear 
no  more,  for  they  could  not  bear  to  think  of  the  command —     20 
'  If  even  an  animal  touches  the  mountain,  it  is  to  be  stoned 
to  death;'  and  so  fearful  was  the  sight  that  Moses  said—     21 
'  I   tremble  with  fear.'      No,   but  it  is  to   Mount  Zion  that     22 
you    have  drawn   near,    the    City    of   the    Living   God,    the 
heavenly  Jerusalem,  to  countless  hosts  of  angels,  to  the  festal     23 
gathering   and    assemblage    of    God's    Eldest    Sons   whose 
names   are   enrolled   in    Heaven,    to   God    the  Judge   of  all 
men,    to    the    spirits    of   the    righteous    who    have  attained 
perfection,  to  Jesus,    the   intermediary  of  a  new  Covenant,     24 
and  to  the  Sprinkled  Blood  that  tells  of  better  things  than 
the  blood  of  Abel.  Beware  how  you  refuse  to  hear     25 

him  who  is  speaking.  For,  if  the  Israelites  did  not  escape 
punishment,  when  they  refused  to  listen  to  him  who  taught 
them  on  earth  the  divine  will,  far  worse  will  it  be  for 
us,  if  we  turn  away  from  him  who  is  teaching  us  from 
Heaven.  Then  his  voice  shook  the  earth,  but  now  his  26 
declaration  is — 

'  Still  once  more  I  will  cause  not  only  the  earth  to  tremble, 
but  also  the  heavens.' 

And  those  words  '  still  once  more  '  indicate  the  passing  away     27 
of  all  that  is  shaken — that  is,  of  all  created  things — in  order 
that  only  what  is  unshaken  may  remain.  Therefore,  let     28 

us,  who  have  received  a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  shaken,  be 
thankful,  and  so  offer  acceptable  worship  to  God,  with  awe. 
and  reverence.  For  our  God  is  '  a  consuming  fire.'  29 

"  Ps.  34.  14.  15  Deut.  29.  18  (Septuagint).  l«  Gen.  25.  33.  18-19  Deut.  4.  n— 12  ; 
Exod.  19.  16;  Deut.  5.  23,  25,  26.  ™  Exod.  19.  12 — 13.  21  Deut.  9.  19. 
36-27  Hag.  2.  6.  29  Deut.  4.  24. 


448  HEBREWS,  13 

Let  your  love  for  the  Brethren  continue.     Do     i , 
Christum     n°t  neglect  to  show  hospitality ;    for,  through 
,    virtues.      being  hospitable,  men  have  all  unawares  enter- 
tained  angels.       Remember    the   prisoners,  as   if  you  were     3 
their  fellow-prisoners,  and  the  oppressed,  not  forgetting  that 
you   also   are   still   in    the    body.  Let    marriage    be    4 

honoured  by  all  and  the  married  life  be  pure;  for  God 
will  judge  those  who  are  immoral  and  those  who  commit 
adultery.  Do  not  let  your  conduct  be  ruled  by  the  love  5 

of  money.  Be  content  with  what  you  have,  for  God  himself 
has  said — 

'  I  will  never  forsake  you,  nor  will  I  ever  abandon  you. ' 
Therefore  we  may  say  with  confidence —  6 

'  The  Lord  is  my  helper,  I  will  not  be  afraid. 
What  can  man  do  to  me  ? ' 

Do  not  forget  your  Leaders,  the  men  who  told     7 
Chr^and    y°u  God's  Message.     Recall  the  close  of  their 
the  Leaders   lives,  and  imitate  their  faith. 

in  the  church.     Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday  and  to-day     8 
— yes,  and  for  ever  !     Do  not  let  yourselves  be  carried  away    9 
by  the  various  novel  forms  of  teaching.     It  is  better  to  rely 
for  spiritual  strength  upon  the  divine  help,  than  upon  regu- 
lations regarding   food  ;    for   those    whose    lives   are  guided 
by  such   regulations   have   not   found    them  of  service.     We     ic 
are  not  without  an  altar  ;    but  it  is  one  at  which  those  who 
still  worship  in  the  Tabernacle  have  no  right  to   eat.     The     n 
bodies  of  those  animals  whose  blood  is  brought  by  the  High 
Priest  into  the  Sanctuary,  as  an  offering  for  sin,  are  burnt 
outside  the  camp.     And  so  Jesus,  also,  to  purify  the  People  by     u 
his  own  blood,  suffered  outside  the  gate.     Therefore  let  us  go     i; 
out  to  him  '  outside  the  camp,'  bearing  the  same  reproaches  as 
he  ;  for  here  we  have  no  permanent  city,  but  are  looking  for  the     i^ 
City  that  is  to  be.     Through  him  let  us  offer,  as  our  sacrifice,     i< 
continual  praise  to  God — an  offering  from  lips  that  glorify  his 
Name.     Never  forget  to  do  kindly  acts  and  to  share  what  you     i( 
have  with  others,  for  such  sacrifices  are  acceptable  to  God. 

Obey  your  Leaders,  and  submit  to  their  control,  for  they  are     i^ 
watching  over  your  souls,  as  men  who  will  have  to  render  an 
account,  so  that  they  may  do  it  with  joy,  and  not  in  sorrow. 
That  would  not  be  to  your  advantage. 

Pray  for  us,  for  we  are  sure  that  our  consciences     i! 
R«q'"r«t«,     are  clear,  since  our  wish  is  to  be  occupied  with 
Mo..nKo»,    what  is  good.      And  I   the  more  earnestly  ask     i< 
and  Blessing-  for  yOur  prayerSj  that  I  may  be  restored  to  you 
the  sooner. 

»  Deut  31.  6,  8;    Jon.  i.  5.      «  PH.  118.  6.      "-is  Lev.  16.  27.      «  Pa.  50.  14; 
Lsr.  7.  la  j  a  Chron.  39.  31  ;  Isa.  57.  19  (Hebrew) ;  Ho«.  14.  a. 


HEBREWS,  18.  449 

May  God,  the  source  of  all  peace,  who  brought  back  from    20 
the  dead  him  who,  '  by  virtue  of  the  blood  that  rendered  valid 
the  unchangeable  Covenant,  is  the  Great  Shepherd  of  God's 
Sheep,'  Jesus,  our  Lord — may  God  make  you  perfect  in  every-     21 
thing  that  is  good,  so  that  you  may  be  able  to  do  his  will. 
May  he  bring  out  in  us  all  that  is  pleasing  in  his  sight,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  all  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

I  beg  you,  Brothers,  to  bear  with  these  words  of  advice.     22 
For  I  have  written  only  very  briefly  to  you. 

You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  our  Brother,  Timothy,  has     23 
been   set  free.     If  he  comes   here  soon,  we  will  visit  you 
together. 

Give  our  greeting  to  all  your  Leaders,  and  to  all  Christ's    24 
People.  Our  friends  from  Italy  send  their  greetings  to 

you. 

May  God  bless  you  all.  25 

20  Isa.  63.  ii ;  Zech.  9.  n  ;  Isa.  55.  3  ;  Ezek.  37.  26. 


THE   LETTERS   OF   PETER. 


FROM  PETER 

I. 


A  LETTER  TO  THE  CHRISTIANS  OF 
ASIA   MINOR. 

(KNOWN    AS    'THE    FIRST    LETTER    OF 
ST.    PETER'). 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  BETWEEN  65  AND  68  A.D. 


THIS  Letter  was  written  evidently  at  a  time  when  the 
Christians  throughout  Asia  Minor  were  suffering  from  calumny 
and  threatened  with  persecution.  Such  hints  of  their  sufferings 
as  we  get  from  the  Letter  (2.  12  ;  3.  16  ;  4.  4,  14  and  i.  6,  7  ; 
3.  14 — 17  ;  4.  12 — 19)  fit  in  well  with  the  accounts,  derived 
from  other  sources,  of  the  persecution  of  Christians  that  broke 
out  under  the  Emperor  Nero  in  64  A.D.,  and  spread  to  Roman 
Asia.  The  object  of  the  Letter  is  to  give  encouragement  in 
the  face  of  impending  persecution,  and  to  convey  the  advice 
needed  as  to  the  conduct  of  Christians  at  an  important  crisis 
in  the  early  history  of  the  Church.  Those  to  whom  it  is 
addressed  probably  included  Christians  of  Gentile,  as  well  as 
of  Jewish,  birth  (i.  21 ;  2.  10;  3.  6). 


FROM     PETER. 


I. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  the  People  of  God  who  are  living  abroad,  dis- 
Greeting.  persed  throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappa- 

docia,  Roman  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  and  who  were  chosen 
in  accordance  with  the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father, 
through  the  consecration  of  the  Spirit,  to  learn  obedience, 
and  to  be  purified  by  the  sprinkling  of  the  Blood  of  Jesus 
Christ, 

FROM  Peter,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ. 
May  blessing  and  peace  be  yours  in  ever-increasing  measure. 


II. — THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE  OF  SALVATION. 

Blessed  is  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who     3 
has,  in  his  great  mercy,  through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
from  the  dead,  given  us  the  new  Life  of  undying  hope,  that  pro-    4 
mises  an  inheritance,  imperishable,  stainless,  unfading,  which 
has  been  reserved  for  you  in  Heaven — for  you  who,  through  faith,     5 
are  being  guarded  by  the  power  of  God,  awaiting  a  Salvation 
that  is  ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  days.     At  the  thought     6 
of  this   you   are   full   of  exultation,  though  (if  it  has  been 
necessary)  you  have  suffered  for  the  moment  somewhat  from 
various  trials  ;  that  the  genuineness  of  your  faith — a  thing  far    7 
more  precious  than  gold,  which  is  perishable,  yet  has  to  be 
tested  by  fire — may  win  praise  and  glory  and  honour  at  the 
Appearing  of  Jesus  Christ.    Though  you  have  never  seen  him,     8 
yet  you  love  him  ;  though  you  do  not  even  now  see  him,  yet 
you  believe  in  him,  and  exult  with  a  triumphant  happiness 
too  great  for  words,  as  you  receive  the  reward  of  your  faith  in     9 
the  Salvation  of  your  souls  !  It  was  this  Salvation  that     10 

the  Prophets,  who  spoke  long  ago  of  the  blessing  intended  for 


454  I.  PETER,  1. 

you,  sought,  and  strove  to  comprehend  ;  as  they  strove  to 
discern  what  that  time  could  be,  to  which  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  within  them  was  pointing,  when  foretelling  the  suffer- 
ings that  would  befall  Christ,  and  the  glories  that  would 
follow.  And  it  was  revealed  to  them  that  it  was  not  for 
themselves,  but  for  you,  that  they  were  acting  as  Ministers  of 
the  truths  which  have  now  been  told  to  you,  by  those  who, 
with  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  sent  from  Heaven,  have 
brought  you  the  Good  News — truths  into  which  even  angels 
long  to  look. 


III. — THE  CHRISTIAN'S  CHARACTER. 

Therefore   concentrate   your  minds,  with   the 

Holiness     strictest  self-control,  and  fix  your  hopes  on  the 

L°^         blessing  that  is  coming  for  you  at  the  Appearing 

of  Jesus  Christ     Be  like  obedient  children  ;  do 

not  let  your  lives  be  shaped  by  the  passions  which  once  swayed 

you  in  the  days  of  your  ignorance,  but  in  your  whole  life  show 

yourselves  to  be  holy,  after  the  pattern  of  the  Holy  One  from 

whom  you  received  your  Call.     For  Scripture  says — 

'  You  shall  be  holy,  because  I  am  holy.' 

And  since  you  call  upon  him  as  '  Father,'  who  judges  every 
one  impartially  by  what  he  has  done,  let  reverence  be  the  spirit 
of  your  lives  during  the  time  of  your  stay  upon  earth.  For 
you  know  that  it  was  not  by  perishable  things,  such  as  silver 
and  gold,  that  you  were  ransomed  from  the  aimless  way  of 
living  which  was  handed  down  to  you  from  your  ancestors,  but 
by  precious  blood,  as  it  were  of  a  lamb,  unblemished  and  spot- 
less, the  Blood  of  Christ.  Destined  for  this  before  the  beginning 
of  the  world,  he  has  been  revealed  in  these  last  days  for  your 
sakes,  who,  through  him,  are  faithful  to  God  who  raised  him 
from  the  dead  and  gave  him  honour,  so  that  your  faith  and 
hope  are  now  in  God. 

Now  that,  by  your  obedience  to  the  Truth,  you 

Bl"t!ov«.rly     have  purified  your  lives,  so  that  there  is  growing 

up   among   you   a   genuine   brotherly   affection, 

love  one  another  earnestly  with  all  your  hearts  ;    since  your 

new  Life  has  come,   not  from  perishable,  but  imperishable, 

seed,  through  the  Message  of  the  Everliving  God.     For — 

'  All  earthly  life  is  but  as  grass, 

And  all  its  splendour  as  the  flower  of  grass. 
The  grass  fades, 
Its  flower  falls, 

But  the  Teaching  of  the  Lord  remains  for  ever.' 

I*  Lev.  ii.  44;    19.  a  ;    ao.  7.       '7  Jer.  3.  19.       18  Isa.  52.  3.       23  Dan.  6.  36. 
8*-»  Isa.  40.  6—9. 


I.  PETER,  2.  455 

And  that  is  the  Teaching  of  the  Good  News  which  has  been 
told  to  you.  Now  that  you  have  done  with  all  malice,     i     J 

all  deceitfulness,  insincerity,  jealous  feelings,  and 
lce<    all  back-biting,   like  newly  born   infants,  crave     2 
pure  spiritual  milk,  so  that  you  may  be  enabled  by  it  to  grow 
till  you  attain  Salvation — since  '  you  have  found  by  experience     3 

that  the  Lord  is  kind.'   Come  to  Him,  then,  as  to    4 
:ration.  a  jjvjng.  stone(  rejected,  indeed,  by  men,  but  in 
God's  eyes  choice  and  precious  ;    and,  as  living  stones,  form     5 
yourselves  into  a  spiritual  House,  to  be  a  consecrated  Priest- 
hood,  for  the    offering    of  spiritual    sacrifices    that  will    be 
acceptable  to  God   through  Jesus   Christ.     For  there  is  a    6 
passage  of  Scripture  that  runs — 

'  See,  I  am  placing-  in  Zion  a  choice  and  precious  corner-stone  ; 
And  he  who  believes  in  him  shall  have  no  cause  for  shame.' 

It  is  to  you,  then,  who  believe  in  him  that  he  is  precious,  but  to     7 
those  who  do  not  believe  he  is  '  a  stone  which,  though  rejected 
by  the  builders,  has  now  itself  become  the  corner-stone,'  and     8 
'  a  stumbling-block,  and  a  rock  which  shall  prove  a  hindrance.' 
They  stumble  because  they  do  not  accept  the  Message.     This 
was  the  fate  destined  for  them.     But  you  are  '  a  chosen  race,     9 
a  royal  priesthood,  a  consecrated  nation,  God's  own  People,' 
entrusted  with  the  proclamation  of  the  goodness  of  him  who 
called  you  out  of  Darkness  into  his  wonderful  Light.     Once     10 
you  were  '  not  a  people,'  but  now  you  are  '  God's  People ' ;  once 
you  '  had  not  found  mercy,'  but  now  you  '  have  found  mercy.' 

IV. — PRACTICAL   EXHORTATIONS   IN   VIEW  OF  THE  DANGERS 

OF  THE  TIMES. 

Tne  Dear   friends,   I   urge    you,   as    pilgrims  and     n 

Necessity  of  strangers  upon  earth,  to  refrain  from  indulging 
setting  a  good  tjie   crav;ng-s   of  your  earthly   nature,  for  they 

Example.  ,  J ,  ,         jf  j     -i        i-r 

make  war  upon  the  soul.     Let  your  daily  life     12 
among  the  Gentiles  be  so  upright,  that,  whenever  they  malign 
you  as  evil-doers,  they  may  learn,  as  they  watch,  from  the 
uprightness  of  your  conduct,  to  praise  God  '  at  the  time  when 
he  shall  visit  them.' 

Submit  to  all  human  institutions  for  the  Lord's     13 
Submission   sake,    alike    to    the    emperor    as    the    supreme 
Authorities,  authority,  and  to  governors  as  the  men  sent  by  him     14 

to  punish  evil-doers  and  to  commend  those  who  do 
right.     For  God's  will  is  this — that  you  should  silence  the     15 
ignorance  of  foolish  people  by  doing  what  is  right.     Act  as  free     i ' 
men,  yet  not  using  your  freedom  as  those  do  who  make  it  a 

3  Ps.  34.  8.      4—7  Ps.  118.  22  ;  Isa.  28.  16.     8  Isa.  8.  14,  15.     9  Isa.  43.  20 — 21 ; 
Exod.  19.  5—6.     10  Hos.  i.  6—9  ;  2.  i,  23.     11  Ps.  39.  is.     13  Isa.  10.  3. 


456  I.  PETER,  2-3. 

cloak  for  wickedness,  but  as  Servants  of  God.      Show  honour     17 
to  every  one.     Love  the  Brotherhood,   '  revere  God,  honour 
the  emperor.' 

Those  of  you  who  are  domestic  servants  should     18 
''servants?*  always   be    submissive    and    respectful   to    their 
masters,  not  only,  to  those  who  are  good  and 
considerate,  but  also  to  those  who  are  arbitrary.     For  this     19 
wins  God's  approval  when,  because  conscious  of  God's  pre- 
sence,  a  man  who  is  suffering  unjustly  bears  his   troubles 
patiently.     What  credit  can   you   claim   when,    after   doing     20 
wrong,  you  take  your  punishment  for  it  patiently  ?    But,  on 
the  other  hand,  if,  after  doing  right,  you  take  your  sufferings 
patiently,  that  does  win  the  approval  of  God.     For  it  was  to     21 
this  that  you  were  called  !     For  Christ,  too,  suffered — on  your 
behalf— and  left  you  an  example,  that  you  should  follow  in 
his   steps.     He    '  never   sinned,  nor   was   anything   deceitful     22 
ever  heard  from  his  lips.'     He  was  abused,  but  he  did  not     23 
answer  with  abuse  ;  he  suffered,  but  he  did  not  threaten  ;  he 
entrusted  himself  to  him  whose  judgements  are  just.     And  he     24 
'  himself  carried  our  sins '  in  his  own  body  to  the  cross,  so 
that  we  might  die  to  our  sins,  and  live  for  righteousness. 
'  His  bruising  was  your  healing.'     Once  you  were  straying     25 
like  sheep,  but  now  you  have  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and 
Guardian  of  your  souls. 

Again,  you  married  women  should  submit  to     i 
Thebett!reenn*  vour  husbands,  so  that  if  any  of  them  reject  the 
Husbands  and  Message,  they  may,  apart  from  the  Message,  be 

wives.        won   over,    by   the   conduct   of  their   wives,   as     2 
they  watch  your  submissive  and  blameless  conduct.     Yours     3 
should    be,    not    the    external    adornment   of    the    arrange- 
ment  of    the    hair,    the    wearing   of  jewelry,    or    the    put- 
ting on  of  dresses,  but  the  inner  life  with  the  imperishable     4 
beauty  of  a  quiet  and  gentle  spirit ;  for  this  is  very  precious 
in  God's  sight.     It  was  by  this  that  the  holy  women  of  old,     5 
who  rested  their  hopes  on  God,  adorned  themselves  ;  submit- 
ting to  their  husbands,  as  Sarah  did,  who  obeyed  Abraham,     6 
and  called  him  master.    And  you  are  her  true  children,  as  long 
as  you  live  good  lives,  and  let  nothing  terrify  you. 

Again,   those   of  you   who   are   married    men   should   live     7 
considerately  with  their  wives,  showing  due  regard  to  their 
sex,  as  weaker  than  their  own,  and  not  forgetting  that  they 
share  with  you  in  the  gift  of  Life.     Then  you  will  be  able  to 
pray  without  hindrance. 

Lastly,  you  should  all  be  united,  sympathetic,     8 

Christian     full    of   brotherly    love,    kind-hearted,    humble- 
Vo^bearance?  mmded  ;  never  returning  evil  for  evil,  or  abuse     9 

for  abuse,  but,  on  the  contrary,  blessing.     It  was 
to  this  that  you  were  called — to  obtain  a  blessing  ! 

M  Prov.  34.  ai.     22-25  Isa.  53.  5—12.    «  Gen.  18.  13  ;  Prov.  3.  35. 


I.  PETER,  3—4.  467 

'  He  who  would  enjoy  life  10 

And  see  happy  days — 
Let  him  keep  his  tongue  from  evil 

And  his  lips  from  deceitful  words, 
Let  him  turn  from  evil  and  do  good,  1 1 

Let  him  seek  for  peace  and  follow  after  it ; 

For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  on  the  righteous,  12 

And  his  ears  are  attentive  to  their  prayers, 

But  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  set  against  those  who  do  wrong.' 

Who,  indeed,  is  there  to  harm  you,  if  you  prove     13 
Eafter*heT    yourselves  to  be  eager  for  what  is  good  ?  Even  if    14 
Example  of  you  should  suffer  for  righteousness,  count  your- 
chnat.       selves  blessed  !     '  Do  not  let  men  terrify  you,  or 
allow  yourselves  to  be  dismayed.'    Revere  the  Christ  as  Lord  in     15 
your  hearts  ;  always  ready  to  give  an  answer  to  any  one  who 
asks  your  reason  for  the  hope  that  you  cherish,  but  giving  it 
humbly  and  in  all  reverence,  and  keeping  your  consciences     16 
clear,  so  that,  whenever  you  are  maligned,  those  who  vilify 
your  good  and  Christian  conduct  may  be  put  to  shame.     It  is     17 
better  that  you  should  suffer,  if  that  should  be  God's  will,  for 
doing  right,  than  for  doing  wrong.     For  Christ  himself  died     18 
to  atone  for  sins  once  for  all — the  good  on  behalf  of  the  bad — 
that  he  might  bring  you  to  God  ;  his  body  being  put  to  death, 
but  his  spirit  entering  upon  new  Life.     And  it  was  then  that     19 
he  went  and  preached  to  the  imprisoned  spirits,  who  once  were     20 
disobedient,  at  the  time  when  God  patiently  waited,  in  the 
days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  being  prepared  ;  in  which 
some  few  lives,  eight  in  all,  were  saved  by  means  of  water. 
And  baptism,  which  this  foreshadowed,  now  saves  you — not     21 
the  mere  cleansing  of  the  body,  but  the  search  of  a  clear 
conscience  after  God — through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  has  gone  into  Heaven,  and  is  at  God's  right  hand,  where     22 
Angels  and  Archangels  and  the  Powers  of  Heaven  now  yield 
submission  to  him. 

Since,  then,  Christ  suffered  in  body,  arm  your-     i    • 
Renunciation  seives  with  the  same  resolve  as  he ;   for  he  who 
Heathenlife.  has  suffered  in  body  has  ceased  to  sin,  and  so  will     2 

live  the  rest  of  his  earthly  life  guided,  not  by 
human  passions,  but  by  the  will  of  God.     Surely  in  the  past     3 
you  have  spent  time  enough  living  as  the  Gentiles  delight  to 
live.     For  your  path  has  lain  among  scenes  of  debauchery, 
licentiousness,  drunkenness,  revelry,  hard-drinking,  and  pro- 
fane  idolatry.     And,   because  you  do  not  run  to   the   same     4 
extremes   of  profligacy  as  others,  they  are  astonished,  and 
malign  you.     But  they  will  have  to  answer  for  their  conduct     5 
to  him  who  is  ready  to  judge  both  the  living  and  the  dead. 
For  that  was  why  the  Good  News  was  told  to  the  dead  also —    6 

10-12  ps.  34.  I2_,6.    14-15  lsa.  g.  12—13.    a  Ps.  no.  i. 


458  I.  PETER,  4-5. 

that,  after  they  have  been  judged  in  the  body,  as  men  are 
judged,  they  might  live  in  the  spirit,  as  God  lives. 

But  the  end  of  all  things  is  near.     Therefore     7 
seif-controi,   exercise  self-restraint  and  be  calm,  that  you  may 
^ser^i'c'e?     be  able  to  Prav-     Above  all  things,  let  your  love     8 

for  one  another  be  earnest,  for  '  Love  throws  a 
veil  over  countless  sins.'     Never  grudge  hospitality  to  one     9 
another.     Whatever  the  gift  that  each  has  received,  use  it  in     10 
the  service  of  others,  as  good  stewards  of  the  varied  bounty  of 
God.     When  any  one  speaks,  let  him  speak  as  one  who  is     1 1 
delivering  the  oracles  of  God.     When  any  one  is  endeavouring 
to  serve  others,  let  him  do  so  in  reliance  on  the  strength  which 
God  supplies  ;  so  that  in  everything  God  may  be  honoured 
through  Jesus  Christ — to  whom  be  ascribed  all  honour  and 
might  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


Dear  friends,  do  not  be  astonished  at  the  fiery     12 
.Aals  that  you  are  passing  through,  to  test  you, 
as  though  something  strange  were  happening  to 
you.    No,  the  more  you  share  the  sufferings  of  the  Christ,     13 
the  more  may  you  rejoice,    that,   when  the  time   comes   for 
the  manifestation  of  his  Glory,  you  may  rejoice  and  exult. 
If  you  are  reviled  for  bearing  the  name  of  Christ,  count  your-     14 
selves  blessed  ;    because  the  divine  Glory  and  the    Spirit  of 
God   are  resting  upon  you.     I  need  hardly  say  that  no   one     15 
among  you  must  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  a  thief,  or  a  criminal, 
or  for  interfering  in  matters  which  do  not  concern  Christians. 
But,  if  a  man  suffers   as    a  Christian,   do    not   let   him    be     16 
ashamed  of  it ;  let  him  bring  honour  to  God  even  though  he 
bears  that  name.   For  the  time  has  come  for  judgement  to  begin     17 
with  the  House  of  God  ;  and,  if  it  begins  with  us,  what  will  be 
the  end  of  those  who  reject  God's  Good  News  ?     If  '  a  good     18 
man  is  saved  only  with  difficulty,  what  will  become  of  the 
godless  and   the   sinful  ? '     Therefore,   I  say,  let  those  who     19 
suffer,  because  God  wills  it  so,  commit  their  lives  into  the 
hands  of  a  faithful  Creator,  and  persevere  in  doing  right. 


V.  — CONCLUSION. 

As  for  the  older  men  among  you,  who  bear 
Exhortation*  omce  'n  tne  Church,  I,  their  fellow-Officer,  and  a 
witness  to  the  sufferings  of  the  Christ,  who  shall 
also  share  in  the  glory  that  is  to  be  revealed — I  urge  you  to 
be  true  shepherds  of  the  flock  of  God  among  you,  not  because 

•  Prov.    10.    ta  (Hebrew).      "  Pa.   89.   50—51 ;    Isa.    it.   a.      "  Ezek.  9.  6. 
18  Prov.  ii.  31. 


I.  PETER,  5.  459 

you  are  compelled,  but  of  your  own  free  will ;  not  from  a  base 
love  of  gain,  but  with  a  ready  spirit ;  not  as  lords  of  your     3 
charges,  but  as  examples   to  your   flock.     Then,  when  the     4 
Chief  Shepherd  appears,  you  will  win  the  crown  of  glory  that 
never  fades.  Again,  you  younger  men  should  show     5 

deference  to  the  older.  And  all  of  you  should  put  on  the 

badge  of  humility  in  mutual  service,  for  '  God  is  opposed  to 
the  proud,  but  gives  his  help  to  the  humble.' 

Humble  yourselves,  therefore,  under  the  mighty    6 
^"rtatfons.  hand  of  God,  so  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  his 

good  time,  laying  all  your  anxieties  upon  him,     7 
for  he  makes  you  his  care.  Exercise  self-control,  be     8 

watchful.     Your  adversary,  the  Devil,  like  a  roaring  lion,  is 
prowling  about,  eager  to  devour  you.      Stand  firm  against    9 
him,  strong  in  your  faith  ;  knowing,  as  you  do,  that  the  very 
sufferings  which  you  are  undergoing  are  being  endured  to  the 
full  by  your  Brotherhood  throughout  the  world.  God,     IO 

from  whom   all  help  comes,  and  who  called   you,  by  your 
union  with   Christ,  into  his  eternal    glory,  will,  when    you 
have  suffered   for  a   little  while,   himself  perfect,   establish, 
strengthen   you.      To   him   be   ascribed   dominion  for  ever.     II 
Amen. 

I  have  been  writing  to  you  briefly  by  the  hand     12 
Messages  and  of  s;jaS)  our  true-hearted  Brother  (for  so  I  regard 
him),  to  urge  upon  you,  and  to  bear  my  testimony, 
that  in  what  I  have  written  is  to  be  found  the  true  love  of 
God.     On  that  take  your  stand.  Your  sister-Church  in     13 

'  Babylon  '  sends  you  greeting,  and  so  does  Mark,  who  is  as 
a  son  to  me.  Greet  one  another  with  the  kiss  of  love.        14 

May  God  give  his  peace  to  you  all  in   your  union  with 
Christ. 

5  Prov.  3.  34.      7  ps.  5S.  22. 


FROM  PETER 
II. 


A  LETTER  TO  CHRISTIAN   PEOPLE. 

(KNOWN    AS    'THE    SECOND    LETTER    OF 
ST.    PETER'). 


DATE  AND   PLACE  OF  WRITING  UNCERTAIN. 


THIS  Letter  is  addressed  to  Christians  m  general,  and  is 
mainly  directed  against  the  separation  of  Christianity  from  a 
holy  life.  It  also  contains  an  assertion  of  the  certainty  of  the 
'  Second  Coming '  of  the  Christ,  though  at  a  time  which  might 
still  be  far  off  according  to  human  reckoning.  The  re- 
semblances of  this  Letter  to  the  '  Letter  of  St.  Jude,'  and  to 
the  writings  of  the  Jewish  historian  Josephus,  are  most  re- 
markable ;  and  so,  too,  are  the  apparent  references  to  passages 
in  the  writings  of  the  Alexandrian  Philosopher,  Philo.  Both 
Philo  and  Josephus  wrote  in  the  First  Century  of  the  Christian 
Era. 


FROM    PETER. 
II. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  those  to  whom,  through  the  justice  of  our     I 

God   and    Saviour  Jesus   Christ,    there  has 
Greeting.  been   granted  faith  equally  privileged  with 

our  own, 

FROM  Simon  Peter,  a  servant  and  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ. 
May  blessing  and  peace  be  yours  in  ever-increasing  measure,     2 
as  you  advance  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  Jesus, 
our  Lord. 

For  his  divine  power  has  given  us  everything     3 
Christian     that  is  needful  for  a  life  of  piety,  as  we  advance 
Pr'andee8     m   the   knowledge  of  him  who  called  us  by  a 
Christian     glorious  manifestation  of  his  goodness.     For  it    4 

Life.         was  through  this  that  he  gave  us  what  we  prize 
as  the  greatest  of  his  promises,  that  through  them  you  might 
participate  in  the  divine  nature,  now  that  you  have  fled  from 
the  corruption  in  the  world,  resulting  from  human  passions. 
Yes,  and  for  this  very  reason  do  your  best  to  supplement  your     5 
faith   by   goodness,    goodness  by  knowledge,  knowledge  by     6 
self-control,    self-control   by  endurance,  endurance  by  piety, 
piety  by  brotherly  affection,  and  brotherly  affection  by  love.     7 
For,  when  these  virtues  are  yours,  in  increasing  measure,  they     8 
prevent  your   being   indifferent   to,   or  destitute  of,   a  fuller 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     Surely  the  man  who     9 
has  not  these  -virtues  is  shortsighted  even  to  blindness,  and 
has  chosen  to  forget  that  he  has  been  purified  from  his  sins  of 
the  past  !    Therefore,  Brothers,  do  your  best  to  put  God's  Call     10 
and  Selection  of  you  beyond  all  doubt;  for,  if  you  do  this,  you 
will    never   fall.       For  thus  you  will  be  given  a  triumphant     n 
admission  into  the  eternal  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ. 


464  II.  PETER,  1-2. 

II. — THE  TRANSFIGURATION  AND  THE  'SECOND   COMING' 
OF  THE  CHRIST. 

I  shall,  therefore,  always  be  ready  to  remind  you  of  all  this,     12 
even  though  you  know  it  and  are  firmly  established  in  the 
Truth  that  you  now  hold.     But  I  think  it  my  duty,  as  long  as     13 
I  live  in  this  'tent,'  to  rouse  you  by  awakening  memories  of 
the  past ;  for  I  know  that  the  time  for  this  '  tent '  of  mine  to     14 
be  put  away  is  soon  coming,  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself 
assured  me.      So  I   will  do  my  best  to  enable  you,  at  any     15 
time    after    my   departure,    to    call    these    truths    to    mind. 
For  we  were  not  following  cleverly  devised  stories  when  we     16 
told  you  of  the  Coming  in  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
but  we  had  been  eye-witnesses  of  his  majesty.    For  he  received     17 
honour  and  glory  from  God  the  Father,  when  from  the  Glory 
of  the  Divine  Majesty  there  were  borne  to  his  ears  words 
such   as   these — '  This   is  my  Son,  my  Beloved,  in  whom  I 
delight.'     These  were  the  words  that  we  heard,  borne  to  our     18 
ears  from  Heaven,  when  we  were  with  him  on  that  Sacred 
Mountain.     And  still  stronger  is  the  assurance  that  we  have     19 
in  the  teaching  of  the  Prophets  ;  to  which  you  will  do  well  to 
pay  attention  (as  if  it  were  a  lamp  shining  in  a  gloomy  place), 
until  the  Day  dawns  and  the  Morning  Star  rises  in   your 
hearts.     But  first  be  assured  of  this  : — There  is  no  prophetic     20 
teaching  found  in  Scripture  that  can  be  interpreted  by  man's 
unaided  reason  ;  for  no  prophetic  teaching  ever  came  in  the     21 
old  days  at  the  mere  wish  of  man,  but  men,  moved  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  spoke  direct  from  God. 


III. — WARNING  AGAINST    SEPARATING  CHRISTIANITY  FROM  A 
HOLY  LIFE. 

But  there  were  false  prophets  also  in  the  nation,  just  as  there 
will  be  false  teachers  among  you,  men  who  will  secretly  intro- 
duce ruinous  divisions,  disowning  even  the  Lord  who  bought 
them,  and  bringing  speedy  Ruin  upon  themselves.  There  will 
be  many,  too,  who  will  follow  their  licentious  courses,  and 
cause  the  Way  of  the  Truth  to  be  maligned.  In  their  covetous- 
ness  they  will  try  to  make  you  a  source  of  profit  by  their 
fabrications  ;  but  for  a  long  time  past  their  Sentence  has  not 
been  standing  idle,  nor  their  Ruin  slumbering.  Remember, 
God  did  not  spare  angels  when  they  sinned,  but  sent  them 
down  to  Tartarus,  and  committed  them  to  caverns  of  dark- 
ness, to  be  kept  under  guard  for  judgement.  Nor  did  he  spare 
the  world  of  old  ;  though  he  preserved  Noah,  the  Preacher  of 
Righteousness,  and  seven  others,  when  he  brought  a  flood 

2  Isa.  52.  5.     *  Enoch  10.  6,  13. 


II.  PETER,  2.  465 

upon  the  godless  world.     He  condemned  the  cities  of  Sodom     6 
and  Gomorrah  and  reduced  them  to  ashes,  holding  them  up  as 
a  warning  to  the  godless  of  what  was  in  store  for  them  ;  but  he     7 
rescued  righteous  Lot,  whose  heart  was  vexed  by  the  wanton 
licentiousness  of  his  neighbours  ;  for,  seeing  and  hearing  what    8 
he  did,  as  he  lived  his  righteous  life  among  them,  day  after  day, 
Lot's  righteous  soul  was  tortured  by  their  wicked  doings.    The     9 
Lord,  therefore,  knows  how  to  deliver  the  pious  from  tempta- 
tion, and  to  keep  the  wicked,  who  are  even  now  suffering 
punishment,    in   readiness   for    '  the    Day   of  Judgement ' — 
especially  those  who,  following  the  promptings  of  their  lower     10 
nature,  indulge  their  polluting  passions  and  despise  all  control. 
Audacious  and  self-willed,  they  feel  no  awe  of  the  Mighty, 
maligning  them,  even  where  angels,  though  excelling  them     n 
in  strength  and  power,  do  not  bring  against  them  a  malignant 
charge  before  the  Lord.     These  men,  however,  like  animals     12 
without  reason,  intended  by  nature  to  be  caught  and  killed — 
these  men,  I  say,  malign  those  of  whom  they  know  nothing, 
and    will    assuredly    perish    through    their  own    corruption, 
suffering  themselves,  as   the   penalty  for  the   suffering  that     13 
they  have  inflicted.     They  think  that  pleasure  consists  in  the 
self-indulgence  of  the  moment.     They  are  a  stain  and  a  dis- 
grace, indulging,  as  they  do,  in  their  wanton  revelry,  even 
while  joining  you  at  your  feasts.     They  have  eyes  only  for     14 
adulteresses,  eyes  never  tired  of  sin  ;  they  entice  weak  souls  ; 
their  minds  are  trained  to  covet  ;    they  live  under  a  curse. 
Leaving  the  straight  road,  they  have  gone  astray  and  followed     15 
in  the  steps  of  Balaam,  the  son  of  Beor,  who  set  his  heart  on 
the  reward  for  wrong-doing,  but  was  rebuked  for  his  offence.     16 
A  dumb  animal  spoke  with  the  voice  of  a  man,  and  checked  the 
prophet's  madness.    These  men  are  like  springs  without  water,     17 
or  mists  driven  before  a  gale  ;  and  for  them  the  blackest  dark- 
ness has  been  reserved.     With  boastful  and  foolish  talk,  they     18 
appeal  to  the  passions  of  man's  lower  nature,  and,  by  their 
profligacy,  entice  those  who  are  just  escaping  from  the  men 
who  live  such  misguided  lives.     They  promise  them  freedom,     19 
while  they  themselves  are  slaves  to  corrupt  habits  ;  for  a  man 
is  the  slave  of  anything  to  which  he  gives  way.     If,  after     20 
having  escaped  the  polluting  influences  of  the  world,  through 
knowing  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  men  are  again 
entangled  in  them,  and  give  way  to  them,  their  last  state  has 
become  worse  than  their  first.     It  would,  indeed,  have  been     21 
better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the  Way  of  Righteousness, 
than,  after  knowing  it,  to  turn  away  from  the  holy  Command 
delivered  to  them.     In  their  case  is  seen  the  truth  of  the  pro-     22 
verb — 'A  dog  returns  to  what  he  has  vomited'  and  'A  sow 
after  washing  to  her  vvallowing-place  in  the  mud.' 

9  Enoch  10.  6.    22  Prov.  26.  n. 


466  II.  PETER,  3. 


IV. — A   RE-ASSERTION   OF   THE    'SECOND   COMING'   OF    THE 
CHRIST. 

Lone-delayed      This,  dear  friends,  is  my  second  letter  to  you.     i     ; 
but  certain.   jn  both  of  them  I  have  tried,  by  appealing  to  your 
remembrance,  to  arouse  your  better  feelings.     I  want  you  to     2 
recall  what  was  foretold  by  the  holy  Prophets,  as  well  as  the 
Command  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  given  to  you  through  your 
Apostles.     First  be  assured  of  this,  that,  as  the  age  draws  to     3 
an  end,  scoffers,  led  by  their  own  passions,  will  come  and  ask    4 
scomngly — 'Where  is  his  promised  Coming?    Ever  since  our 
fathers  passed  to  their  rest,  everything  remains  just  as  it  was 
when  the  world  was  first  created  ! '    For  they  wilfully  shut  their    5 
eyes  to  the  fact  that  long  ago  the  heavens  existed  ;  and  the 
earth,  also — formed  out  of  water  and  by  the  action  of  water,  by 
the  fiat  of  God  ;  and  that  by  the  same  means  the  world  which     6 
then  existed  was  destroyed  in  a  deluge  of  water.     But  the     7 
present  heavens  and  earth,  by  the  same  fiat,  have  been  reserved 
for  fire,  and  are  being  kept  for  the  day  of  the  judgement  and 
destruction  of  the  godless. 

'The  Day          But  you,  dear  friends,  must  never  shut  your  eyes     8 
of  the        to  the  fact  that,  to  the  Lord,  one  day  is  the  same  as 
Lord''        a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day.     The  Lord  is  not  slow  to  fulfil  his  promise,  as  some  count     9 
slowness  ;  but  he  is  forbearing  with  you,  as  it  is  not  his  will 
that  any  of  you  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  be  brought  to 
repentance.  The  Day  of  the  Lord  will  come  like  a     10 

thief ;  and  on  that  day  the  heavens  will  pass  away  with  a 
crash,  the  elements  will  be  burnt  up  and  dissolved,  and  the 
earth  and  all  that  is  in  it  will  be  disclosed.  Now,  since  n 

all  these  things  are  in  the  process  of  dissolution,  think  what 
you  yourselves  ought  to  be — what  holy  and  pious  lives  you 
ought  to  lead,  while  you  await  and  hasten  the  coming  of  the     12 
Day  of  God.     At  its  coming  the   heavens  will  be  dissolved 
in  fire,  and  the  elements  melted  by  heat,  but  we  look  for  '  new     13 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,'  where  righteousness  shall  have  its 
home,  in  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  God. 

Tne  Therefore,  dear  friends,  in  expectation  of  these     14 

needful       things,  make  every  effort  to  be  found  by  him  spot- 
Preparation.  jesS)  blameless,  and  at  peace.     Regard  our  Lord's     15 
forbearance  as  your  one  hope  of  Salvation.     This  is  what  our 
dear  Brother  Paul  wrote  to  you,  with  the  wisdom  that  God  gave 
him.     It  is  the  same  in  all  his   letters,  when   he  speaks  in     16 
them  about  these  subjects.     There  are  some  things  in  them 
difficult  to  understand,   which    untaught  and    weak    people 


»  Ps.  90.  4.    M-W  ha.  33.  4 ;  65.  17 ;  66.  aa. 


II.  PETER,  a  467 

distort,   just    as  they   do  all    other    writings,    to   their   own 
Ruin.  Do  you,  therefore,  dear  friends,  now  that  you     17 

know  this  beforehand,  be  on  your  guard  against  being  led 
away  by  the  errors  of  reckless  people,  and  so  lapsing  from 
your   present  stedfastness ;     and   advance    in    the    love   and     18 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.     All  glory 
be  to  him  now  and  for  ever. 


THE  LETTER  OF  JUDE. 


FROM  JUDE 


•itiuc 


A  LETTER  TO  CHRISTIAN  PEOPLE. 

(KNOWN  AS  'THE  LETTER  OF  ST.  JUDE'). 


[DATE  AND  PLACE  OF  WIPING  UNCERTAIN.] 


THIS  Letter  was  written  apparently  by  the  Jude  (or  Judas) 
who  was  a  "brother  of  James,"  and  so  a  brother  of  Jesus. 
Neither  this  Judas,  nor  his  brother  James,  was  an  Apostle. 
The  Letter  may  have  been  written  in  Palestine  ;  and  the 
historical  allusions  in  it  make  it  possible  that  it  was  addressed 
to  Christians  of  Jewish  origin.  It  is  full  of  resemblances 
to  'The  Second  Letter  of  St.  Peter,'  and  consists  of  a  stern 
denunciation  of  those  nominal  Christians  who  were  using  their 
Christianity  as  a  cover  for  an  evil  life. 


FROM 

JUDE. 


I. — INTRODUCTION. 

To  those  who,  having  received  the  Call,  have  been     i 
Greeting.  loved  by  God  the  Father  and  protected  by 

Jesus  Christ, 
FROM  Jude,  a  servant  of  Jesus   Christ,  and  the  brother  of 

James. 

May   mercy,    peace,    and   love   be    yours   in    ever-increasing     2 
measure. 


II. — WARNINGS  AGAINST  THE  MORAL  CORRUPTION  INTRODUCED 
BY  FALSE  TEACHERS. 

Dear  friends,  while  I  was  making  every  effort  to     3 
The  object    write  to  you  about  our  common  Salvation,  I  felt 
of  the  Letter.  tna(;  I  must  write  to  you  at  once  to  urge  you  to 
fight   in   defence   of   the  Faith   that   has   once   for  all   been 
entrusted  to  the  keeping  of  Christ's  People.       For  there  have     4 
crept  in  among  you  certain   godless  people,  whose  sentence 
has  long  since  been  pronounced,  and  who  make  the  mercy  of 
God  an  excuse  for  profligacy,  and  disown  our  only  lord  and 
master,  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  I  want  to  remind  you — but  you  already     5 
TeachJra'anci  ^now  li  a^ — that,  though  the  Lord  delivered  the 
their  certain  People  from  Egypt,  yet  he  afterwards  destroyed 

Doom.       those  who  refused  to  believe  in  him  ;  and  that     6 
even  those  angels,  who  did  not  keep  to  their  appointed  spheres, 
but  left  their  proper  homes,  have  been  kept  by  him  for  the 
judgement   of    the    Great    Day    in    everlasting   chains    and 
black  darkness.     Like  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and  the  towns    7 
near  them,  which   gave   themselves   up   to   fornication,   and 
fell  into   unnatural   vice,  these  angels  now   stand   out  as  a 

*  Enoch  48.  ti.    6  Enoch  10.  6,  9. 


472  JUDE. 

warning,  undergoing,  as  they  are,  the  punishment  of  aeonian 
fire. 

Yet  in  the  very  same  way  these  men,  too,  cherishing  vain    8 
dreams,  pollute  our  human  nature,  reject  control,  and  malign 
the  Mighty.  Yet  even  Michael,  the  Archangel,  when,     9 

in  his  dispute  with  the  Devil,  he  was  arguing  about  the  body 
of  Moses,  did  not  venture  to  charge  him  with  maligning, 
but  said  merely  '  The  Lord  rebuke  you  ! '  But  these  10 

men  malign  whatever  they  do   not  understand  ;    while  they 
use  such  things  as  they  know  by  instinct  (like  the  animals 
that  have  no  reason)  for  their  own  corruption.     Alas  for  them  !     1 1 
They  walk  in  the  steps  of  Cain  ;  led  astray  by  Balaam's  love 
of  gain,  they  plunge  into  sin,  and  meet  their  ruin  through 
rebellion  like  that  of  Korah.     These  are  the  men  who  are     12 
blots  upon  your  '  Love-feasts,'  when  they  feast  together  and 
provide  without  scruple  for  themselves  alone.    They  are  clouds 
without  rain,  driven  before  the  winds  ;    they  are  leafless  trees 
without  a  vestige  of  fruit,  dead  through  and  through,  torn  up 
by  the  roots  ;  they  are  wild  sea  waves,   foaming  with  their     13 
own    shame ;    they    are    '  wandering    stars,'    for  which    the 
blackest  darkness  has  been  reserved  for  ever. 

To  these  men,  as  to  others,  Enoch,  the  seventh  in  descent     14 
from  Adam,  declared — '  See  !  the    Lord    has   come   with  his 
hosts  of  holy  ones  around  him,  to  execute  judgement  upon  all     15 
men,  and  to  convict  all  godless  people  of  all  their  godless  acts, 
which  in  their  ungodliness  they  have  committed,  and  of  all 
the  harsh  words  which  they  have  spoken  against  him,  godless 
sinners  that  they  are  ! ' 

These  men  are  always  murmuring,  and  complaining  of  their     16 
lot ;  they  follow  where  their  passions  lead  them  ;  they  have 
arrogant  words  upon  their  lips  ;  and  they  flatter  men  for  the 
sake  of  what  they  can  get  from  them. 

But  do  you,  dear  friends,  recall  what  was  fore-     17 
A  chri.tinn'.  told  by  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  how     18 

?owa"d*      they  used  to  say  to  you — 'As  time  draws  to  an  end, 
the««        there  will  be  scoffers,  who  will  be  led  by  their 

Teacher.,    godless  passions.'  These  are  the  people —     19 

animal  and  unspiritual — who  cause  divisions.  But  do     20 

you,  dear  friends,  build  up  your  characters  on  the  foundation 
of  your  most  holy  Faith,  pray  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  keep  within  the  love  of  God,  while  waiting  for  the     21 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  bring  you  to  Immortal 
Life.  To  some  show  pity,  because  they  are  in  doubt.     22 

'  Drag  them  out  of  the  fire,'  and  save  them.     To  others  show    23 
pity,  but  with  caution,  hating  the  very  clothing  polluted  by 
their  touch. 

»  Dan.  i  a.  i  ;    Z«ch.  3.  •.      «  Bzck.  34.  8.      "  Enoch  18.  16.     M-«  Enoch  59.  8  ; 
Deut.  33.  a  ;  Zcch.  14.  5.      w  Zcch.  3.  a — 4. 


JUDE.  473 


III.  — ASCRIPTION. 

To  him  who  is  able  to  guard  you  from  falling,  and  to  bring  24 
you  into  his  glorious  presence,  blameless  and  rejoicing — to 
the  one  God,  our  Saviour,  be  ascribed,  through  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord,  glory,  majesty,  power,  and  dominion,  as  it  was 
before  time  began,  is  now,  and  shall  be  for  all  time  to  come. 
Amen. 


THE  LETTERS  OF  JOHN. 


FROM  JOHN 

I. 


THE  FIRST  LETTER  OF  ST.  JOHN/ 


WRITTEN  PROBABLY  AT  EPHESUS  AFTER  70  A.D 


THIS  Letter  was  apparently  written  by  the  author  of  '  The 
Good  News  according  to  John,'  with  which  book,  both  in 
language  and  thought,  it  has  a  close  connexion.  It  deals 
with  errors  that  were  rife  in  the  Church  in  the  writer's 
day,  by  re-asserting  the  revelation  in  the  incarnate  Christ  of 
the  Life,  and  Light,  and  Love  of  God. 

It  is  a  Homily  rather  than  a  Letter,  and  was  possibly 
intended  to  circulate  among  the  Churches  of  Asia  Minor.  It 
seems  to  have  been  written  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  and 
at  a  time  when  the  Second  Coming  of  the  Christ  appeared 
to  be  imminent  (2.  18). 


FROM    JOHN. 
I. 


I. — THE  IMMORTAL  LIFE. 

It  is  of  what  has  been  in  existence  from  the     i    \ 
Manifested    Beginning,  of  what  we  have  heard,  of  what  we  have 

in  Christ.  &         -.1  e      i  ^11 

seen  with  our  eyes,  ot  what  we  watched  reverently 
and  touched  with  our  hands — it  is  about  the  Word  who  is  the 
Life  that  we  are  now  writing.     That  Life  was  made  visible,     2 
and  we  have  seen  it,  and  now  bear  our  testimony  to  it,  and 
tell  you  of  that  Immortal  Life,  which  was  with  the  Father 
and  was  made  visible  to  us.     It  is  of  what  we  have  seen  and     3 
heard  that  we  now  tell  you,  so  that  you  may  have  communion 
with  us.     And  our  communion  is  with  the  Father  and  with 
his  Son,  Jesus  Christ.     And  we  are  writing  all  this  to  you  that     4 
our  joy  may  be  complete. 

These,   then,   are   the  Tidings   that  we   have     5 
L'VU?  j^*he   heard    from   him   and   now    tell    you — '  God   is 
Light,  and  Darkness  has  no  place  at  all  in  him.' 

If  we  say  that  we   have   communion  with    him,   and   yet     6 
continue  to  live  in  the  Darkness,  we  lie,  and  are  not  living 
the  Truth.     But,  if  our  lives  are  lived  in  the  Light,  as  God     7 
himself  is    in   the   Light,    we    have    communion    with    one 
another,  and  the  Blood  of  Jesus,  his  Son,  purifies  us  from  all 
sin.  If  we  say  that  there  is  no  sin  in  us,  we  are  deceiv-    8 

ing  ourselves,  and  the  Truth  has  no  place  in  us.     If  we  confess     9 
our  sins,  God  may  be  trusted,  in  his  righteousness,  to  forgive 
us  our  sins  and  purify  us  from  all  wickedness.  If  we     10 

say  that  we  have  not  sinned,  we  are  making  God  a  liar,  and 
his  Message  has  no  place  in  us. 

My  Children,  I  am  writing  to  you  to  keep  you  from  sinning  ;     i    2 
but  if  any  one  should  sin,  we  have  one  who  can  plead  for  us 
with  the  Father — Jesus  Christ,  the  Righteous — and  he  is  the     2 
atoning  sacrifice  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for 


478  I.  JOHN,  2. 

those  of  the  whole  world  besides.  And   by   this  we     3 

know  that  we  have  learnt  to  know  him — by  our  laying  his 
commands  to  heart.     The  man  who  says  '  I  know  Jesus,'  but    4 
does  not  lay  his  commands  to  heart,  is  a  liar,  and  the  Truth 
has  no  place  in  him  ;  but,  whenever  a  man  lays  his  Message     5 
to  heart,  in  that  man  the  love  of  God  has  indeed  reached  its 
perfection.  By  this  we  know  that  we  are  in  union  with 

God — He  who  professes  to  maintain  union  with  God  is  himself    6 
bound  to  live  as  Christ  lived. 

Dear  friends,  it  is  no  new  command  that  I  am  writing  to     7 
you,  but  an  old  command,  which  you  have  had  from  the  first. 
That  old  command  is  the  Message  to  which  you  listened. 
Yet,  again,  it  is  a  new  Command  that  I  am  writing  to  you —    8 
manifest  in  Christ's  life  and  in  your  own — for  the  Darkness  is 
passing  away  and  the  true  Light  is  already  shining. 

He  who  says  that  he  is   in   the  Light,  and  yet  hates  his    9 
Brother,  is  in  the  Darkness  even  now.     He  who  loves  his     10 
Brother  is  always  in  the  Light,  and  there  is  nothing  within 
him  to  cause  him  to  stumble  ;  while  he  who  hates  his  Brother     1 1 
is  in  the  Darkness,  and  is  living  in  the  Darkness,  and  does 
not  know  where  he  is  going,  because  the  Darkness  prevents 
his  seeing. 

I  am  writing,  Children,  to  you,  because  your  sins  have  been     12 
forgiven  you  for  Christ's  sake.     I  am  writing,  Fathers,  to  you,     13 
because  you  have  learnt  to  know  him  who  has  been  from  the 
Beginning.     I  am  writing,  Young  Men,  to  you,  .because  you 
have  conquered  the  Evil  One.     I  write,  Children,  to  you,  be- 
cause you  have  learnt  to  know  the  Father.     I  write,  Fathers,  to     14 
you,  because  you  have  learnt  to  know  him  who  has  been  from 
the  Beginning.     I  write,  Young  Men,  to  you,  because  you 
are  strong,  and  God's  Message  is  always  in  your  hearts,  and 
you  have  conquered  the  Evil  One.  Do  not  love  the     15 

world  or  what  the  world  can  offer.     When  any  one  loves  the 
world,  there  is  no  love  for  the  Father  in  him  ;  for  all  that  the     16 
world  can  offer — the  gratification  of  the  earthly  nature,  the 
gratification  of  the  eye,  the  pretentious  life — belongs,  not  to 
the  Father,  but  to  the  world.     And  the  world,  and  all  that  it     17 
gratifies,  is  passing  away,  but  he  who  does  God's  will  remains 
for  ever. 


II. — WARNINGS  AGAINST  ANTI-CHRIST. 

My  Children,   these  are  the   last  days.     You     18 
werc  to'^  tnat  an  Anti-Christ  was  coming  ;  and 
many  Anti-Christs  have  already  arisen.     By  that 
we  know  that  these  are  the  last  days.     From  us,  it  is  true,     19 


I.  JOHN,  2-3.  479 

they  went  out,  but  they  had  never  belonged  to  us  ;  for,  if  they 
had  belonged  to  us,  they  would  have  remained  among  us. 
They  left  us  that  it  might  be  made  clear  that  they  do  not,  any 
of  them,  belong  to  us.  You,  however,  have  received  conse-  20 

cration  from  the  Holy  One.     You  all  know But  I  am  not     21 

writing  to  you  because  you  do  not  know  the  Truth,  but 
because  you  do  know  it,  and  because  nothing  false  can  come 
from  the  Truth. 

Who  is  a  liar,  if  not  the  man  who  rejects  the  truth  that     22 
Jesus  is  the  Christ  ?     He  is  the  Anti-Christ — the  man  who 
rejects  the  Father  and  the  Son.     No  one  who  rejects  the  Son     23 
has  found   the  Father ;    he  who  acknowledges  the  Son  has 
found  the  Father  also.  As  for  you,  let  what  you  were     24 

told  at  the  first  be  always  in  your  thoughts.     If,  then,  what 
you  were  told  from  the  first  is  always  in  your  thoughts,  you 
yourselves  will  maintain  your  union  both  with  the  Son  and 
with  the  Father.     And  this  is  what  he  himself  promised  us —     25 
The  Immortal  Life  ! 

In  writing  thus  to  you,  I  have  in  mind  those     26 
The         who  are  trying  to  mislead  you.     But  you — you     27 
consecration  s*'^  retain  in  your  hearts  that  consecration  which 
'  you  received  from  the  Christ,  and  are  not  i«  need 
of  any  one  to  teach  you  ;  but,  since  his  consecration  of  you 
teaches  you  about  everything,  and  since  it  is  a  real  consecra- 
tion, and  no  lie,  then,  as  it  has  taught  you,  maintain  your  union 
with  him.  Yes,  my  Children,  maintain  your  union  with     28 

Christ,  so  that,  whenever  he  appears,  our  confidence  may  not 
fail  us,   and  we  may  not  be  ashamed  to  meet  him  at  his 
coming.     Knowing   him   to   be   righteous,   you   realize   that     29 
every  one  who  lives  righteously  has  received  the  new  Life 
from  him. 


III. — THE  PRIVILEGES  AND  DUTIES  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

Think  what  love  the  Father  has  shown  us  in     i     3 
Th*  u!^her>*  Allowing  us  to  be  called   '  Children  of  God  ' ;  as 
indeed  we  are.  The  reason  why  the  world  does  not 
know  us  is  that  it  has  not  learnt  to  know  him.  Dear     2 

friends,  we  are  God's  Children  now  ;  what  we  shall  be  has 
not  yet  been  revealed.     What  we  do  know  is  that,  when  it  is 
revealed,  we  shall  be  like  Christ ;  because  we  shall  see  him  as 
he  is.     And  every  one  who  has  this  hope  with  regard  to  Christ     3 
tries  to  make  himself  pure — as  Christ  is  pure. 

Thc  Every  one  who  lives  sinfully  is  living  in  vio-    4 

children's     lation  of  Law.      Sin  is  violation  of  Law.     And     5 

Live*.        you  know  that  Christ  appeared  to  take  away  our 
sins  ;  and  in  him  Sin  has  no  place.     No  one  who  maintains     6 


480  I.  JOHN,  3. 

union  with  him  lives  in  sin  ;  no  one  who  lives  in  sin  has  ever 
really  seen  him  or  learnt  to  know  him.  My  Children, 

do  not  let  any  one  mislead  you.  He  who  lives  righteously  is 
righteous — as  Christ  is  righteous.  He  who  lives  sinfully 
belongs  to  the  Devil,  for  the  Devil  has  sinned  from  the  first. 
It  was  for  this  that  the  Son  of  God  appeared,  that  he  might 
undo  the  Devil's  work. 

No  one  who  has  received  the  new  Life  from  God  lives 
sinfully,  because  the  very  nature  of  God  dwells  within  him  ; 
and  he  cannot  live  in  sin,  because  he  has  received  the  new 
Life  from  God.  By  this  the  Children  of  God  are  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Children  of  the  Devil — No  one  who  lives 
unrighteously  comes  from  God,  and  especially  the  man 
who  does  not  love  his  Brother.  For  these  are  the  Tidings 
that  we  heard  from  the  first — that  we  are  to  love  one 
another.  We  must  not  be  like  Cain,  who  belonged  to  the 
Evil  One  and  killed  his  brother.  And  why  did  he  kill  him  ? 
It  was  because  his  life  was  bad  while  his  brother's  was 
good. 


Do  not  wonder,   Brothers,  if  the  world  hates     13 
""*£"  fiT '  Thi*  You-     We   know   that   we   have   passed    out    of     14 

0  ret  n  re  n  •        -  -      .  .    .  .  *  ..-*         * 

Death  into  Life,  because  we  love  our  Brothers. 
The  man  who  does  not  love  remains  in  a  state  of  Death. 
Every    one    who    hates    his    Brother    is    a    murderer  ;     and     15 
you   know    that    no    murderer    has    Immortal    Life    within 
him. 

We    have  learnt  to  know  what   love   is   from   this  —  that     16 
Christ  laid  down  his  life  on  our  behalf.     Therefore  we  also 
ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  on  behalf  of  our  Brothers.     But,  if    17 
any  one  has  worldly  possessions,  and  yet  looks  on  while  his 
Brother  is  in  want,  and  steels  his  heart  against  him,  how  can 
it  be  said  that  the  love  of  God  is  within  him  ?  My     18 

Children,  do  not  let  our  love  be  mere  words,  or  end  in  talk  ; 
let  it  be  true  and  show  itself  in  acts. 

By  that  we  shall  know  that  we  are  on  the  side  of  the  Truth ;     19 
and  we  shall   satisfy   ourselves   in   God's   sight,  that  if  our     20 
conscience  condemns  us,  yet  God  is  greater  than  our  con- 
science and  knows  everything.  Dear  friends,   if  our     21 
conscience  does  not  condemn  us,  then  we  approach  God  with 
confidence,  and  we  receive  from  him  whatever  we  ask,  because     22 
we  are  laying  his  commands  to  heart,  and  are  doing  what  is 
pleasing  in  his  sight.     His  Command  is  this — that  we  should     23 
put  our  trust  in  the  Name  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  love 
one  another,  in  accordance  with  the  Command  that  he  gave 
us.     And  he  who  lays  his  commands  to  heart  maintains,  union     24 
with  Christ,  and  Christ  with  him.     And  by  this  we  know  that 
Christ  maintains  union  with    us — by  our  possession  of  the 
Spirit  which  he  gave  us. 


I.  JOHN,  4.  481 


IV. — TRUE  AND  FALSE  INSPIRATION. 

Dear  friends,  do  not  trust  every  inspiration, 
Th*  Test     but  test  each  inspiration,  to  see  whether  it  pro- 
inspiration.  ceeds  from  God  ;  because  many  false  Prophets 

have  gone  out  into  the  world. 

This  is  the  way  by  which  to  know  the  inspiration  of  God — 
All  inspiration  that  acknowledges  Jesus  Christ  as  come  in 
our  human  nature  is  from  God  ;  while  all  inspiration  that 
does  not  acknowledge  Jesus  is  not  inspiration  from  God.  It 
is  the  inspiration  of  the  Anti-Christ ;  you  have  heard  that  it 
was  to  come,  and  it  is  now  already  in  the  world. 

You,  my  Children,  come  from  God,  and  you  have  success- 
fully resisted  such  men  as  these,  because  he  who  is  in  you  is 
greater  than  he  who  is  in  the  world.  Those  men  belong  to 
the  world  ;  and  therefore  they  speak  as  the  world  speaks,  and 
the  world  listens  to  them.  We  come  from  God.  He  who 
knows  God  listens  to  us  ;  the  man  who  does  not  come  from 
God  does  not  listen  to  us.  By  that  we  may  know  the  true 
inspiration  from  the  false. 


V. — LOVE  OF  GOD  AND  LOVE  OF  MAN. 

Dear  friends,  let  us  love  one  another,  because  Love  comes    7 
from  God  ;    and  every  one  who  loves  has  received  the   new 
Life  from  God  and  knows  God.     He  who  does  not  love  has     8 
not  learnt  to  know  God  ;  for  God  is  Love.     The  love  of  God     9 
was  revealed  to  us  by  his  sending  his  only  Son  into  the  world, 
that  we  might  find  Life  through  him.     His  love  is  seen  in     10 
this — not  in  our  having  loved  God,  but  in  his  loving  us  and 
sending  his  Son  to  be  an  atoning  sacrifice  for  our  sins. 

Dear  friends,  since  God  loved  us  thus,  we,  surely,  ought  to     1 1 
love  one  another.     No  human  eyes  have  ever  seen  God  ;  yet,     12 
if  we  love  one  another,  God  remains  in  union  with  us,  and  his 
love  attains  its  perfection  in  us.     We  know  that  we  remain     13 
in  union  with  him,  and  he  with  us,  by  this — by  his  having 
given  us  some  measure  of  his  Spirit.  Moreover,   our     14 

eyes  have  seen — and  we  are  testifying  to  the  fact — that  the 
Father  has  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world.     Who-     15 
ever  acknowledges  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God — God 
remains  in  union  with  that  man,  and  he  with  God.  And,     16 

moreover,  we  have  learnt  to  know,  and  have  accepted  as  a  fact, 
the  love  which  God  has  for  us. 

God  is  Love  ;  and  he  who  lives  in  love  lives  in  God,  and 
God  in  him.  It  is  through  this  that  love  has  attained     17 

its  perfection  in  us,  so  that  we  may  have  confidence  on  the  Day 
of  Judgement,  because  what  Christ  is  that  we  also  are  in  this 

R 


482  I.  JOHN,  4-5. 

world.     There  is  no  fear  in  love.     No  !   Love,  when  perfect,     18 
drives  out  fear,  for  fear  implies  punishment,  and  the  man  who 
feels  fear  has  not  attained  to  perfect  love.  We  love,     19 

because  God  first  loved  us.     If  a  man  says  '  I  love  God,'  and     20 
yet  hates  his  Brother,  he  is  a  liar ;  for  the  man  who  does  not 
love  his  Brother,  whom  he  has  seen,  cannot  love  God,  whom 
he  has  not  seen.     Indeed,  we  have  this  Command  from  God —     21 
'  He  who  loves  God  must  also  love  his  Brother.' 


VI.— A  CHRISTIAN'S  FAITH  AND  CONFIDENCE. 

Every  one  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ     i 
Faith.        ^as  recejvecj  fae  new  Life  from  God  ;  and  every  one 
who  loves  him  who  gave  that  Life  loves  him  who  has  received 
it.     By  this 'We  know  that  we  love  God's  Children — when  we     2 
love  God  and  carry  out  his  commands.     For  to  love  God  is  to     3 
lay  his  commands  to  heart ;  and  his  commands  are  not  burden- 
some,  because  all  that  has  received  the  new  Life  from  God     4 
conquers  the  world.    And  this  is  the  power  that  has  conquered 
the  world — our  faith  !    Who  is  he  that  conquers  the  world  but     5 
the  man  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  ?  He     6 

it  is  whose  Coming  was  attested  by  means  of 
TTeIt1mon7.'d  Water  and   Blood— Jesus  Christ  himself  ;    not 

by  Water  only,  but  by  Water  and  by  Blood.    And 
there  is  the  Spirit  also  to  bear  testimony,  and  the  Spirit  is 
Truth  itself.     It  is  a  three-fold  testimony— that  of  the  Spirit,     8 
the  Water,  and  the  Blood — and  these  three  are  at  one.     We     9 
accept  the  testimony  of  men,  but  God's   testimony   is   still 
stronger  ;  and  there  is  the  testimony  of  God — the  fact  that  he 
has  already  borne  testimony  about  his  Son.     He  who  believes     10 
in  the  Son  of  God  has  that  testimony  within  him.     He  who 
does  not  believe  God  has  made  God  a  liar,  by  refusing  to 
believe  in  that  testimony  which  he  has  borne  about  his  Son. 
And   that   testimony   is   that   God   gave   us    Immortal    Life,     n 
and  that  this   Life  is  in   his  Son.      He  who  finds  the  Son     12 
finds  Life  ;  he  who  does  not  find  the  Son  of  God  does  not  find 
Life. 

I  write  this  to  you,  that  you  may  realize  that     13 
'°*<  you  have  found  Immortal  Life — you  who  believe 
in  the  Name  of  the  Son  of  God.     And  this  is  the  confidence     14 
with  which  we  approach  him,  that  whenever  we  ask  anything 
that  is  in  accordance  with  his  will,  he  listens  to  us.     And  if     15 
we  realize  that  he  listens  to  us — whatever  we  ask — we  realize 
that  we  have  what  we  have  asked  from  him.  If  any     16 

one  sees  his  Brother  committing  some  sin  that  is  not  a  deadly 
sin,  he  will  ask,  and  so  be  the  means  of  giving  Life  to  him — 
to  any  whose  sin  is  not  deadly.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
deadly  sin  ;  about  that  I  do  not  say  that  a  man  should  pray. 


I.  JOHN,  5.  483 

Every  wrong  action   is   sin,   and   there  is   sin    that  is   not     17 
deadly. 

We  know  that  no  one  who  has  received  the  new  Life  from     18 
God  lives  in  sin.      No,  he  who  has  received  the  new  Life  from 
God  keeps  the  thought  of  God  in  his  heart,  and  then  the  Evil 
One  does  not  touch  him.     We  realize  that  we  come  from  God,     19 
while  all  the  world  is  under  the  influence  of  the  Evil  One. 
We  realize,  too,  that  the  Son  of  God  has  come  among  us,  and     20 
has  given  us  the  discernment  to  know  the  True  God  ;  and  we 
are  in  union  with  the  True  God  by  our  union  with  his  Son, 
Jesus   Christ.      He   is   the   True   God   and   he   is    Immortal 
Life.  My  Children,  guard  yourselves  against  false  ideas     21 

of  God. 


FROM  JOHN 
II. 


THE    LETTER   TO   A   CHRISTIAN 
LADY. 

(KNOWN  AS  'THE  SECOND  LETTER  FROM  JOHN'). 


[PLACE  AND  DATE  OF  WRITING  UNKNOWN.] 


THIS  Letter  may  be  either  a  letter  addressed  to  a  Church 
which  stands  pre-eminent  in  the  writer's  affections,  or  a  private 
letter  addressed  to  a  Christian  lady  and  her  family.  In  the  latter 
case  the  lady's  name  may  possibly  be  Kyria,  or  may  have  been 
intentionally  suppressed  on  account  of  the  dangers  to  which 
Christians  were  frequently  exposed.  The  writer  also  veils  his 
own  identity  under  the  vague  designation  '  the  Officer  of  the 
Church.'  The  Letter  contains  an  appeal  for  the  exhibition  of 
Christian  love,  and  a  warning  against  false  Teachers. 


FROM     JOHN. 
II. 


To  an  eminent  Christian  Lady,  I 

AND  TO  her  Children, 

FROM  the  Officer  of  the  Church. 

I  sincerely  love  you  all,  and  not  I  only,  but  also  all  those  who 

have  learnt  to  know  the  Truth.     We  love  you  for  the  sake     2 

of  that  Truth  which  is  always  in  our  hearts  ;  yes,  and  it 

will  be  ours  for  ever. 
Blessing,  mercy,  and  peace  will  be  ours — the  gift  of  God,  the     3 

Father,  and  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father's  Son — in  a  life  of 

truth  and  love. 

It  was  a  great  joy  to  me  to  find  the  lives  of  some  of  your    4 
children  guided  by  the  Truth,  in  obedience  to  the  command 
that  we  received  from  the  Father.     And    now,    I    pray  you,     5 
Lady — not  as  though  I  were  writing  a  new  command  for  you  ; 
no,  it  is  the  command  which  we  had  from  the  first — Let  us 
love  one  another.     And  this  is  love — to  live  in  obedience  to  the     6 
Father's  commands.     This  is  the  Command  as  you  learnt  from 
the  first,  to  live  in  a  spirit  of  love.     I  say  this  because  many    7 
impostors  have  left  us  to  go  into  the  world — men  who  do  not 
acknowledge  Jesus  as  Christ  come  in  our  human  nature.     It 
is  that  which  marks  a  man  as  an  impostor  and  an  anti-Christ. 
Take  care  that  you  do  not  lose  the  fruit  of  all  our  work;  rather,     8 
reap  the  benefit  of  it  in  full.     Every  one  who  goes  beyond  the     9 
limits  of  the  Teaching  of  the  Christ  has  failed  to  find  God  ;  the 
man  who  keeps  to  that  Teaching — he  has  found  both  the 
Father  and  the  Son.     If  any  one  comes  to  you  and  does  not     10 
bring  this  Teaching,  do  not  receive  him  into  your  house  or 
welcome  him  ;  for  the  man  who  welcomes  him  is  sharing  with     n 
him  in  his  wicked  work. 

Though  I  have  a  great  deal  to  say  to  you,  I  would  rather     12 
not  trust  it  to  paper  and  ink,  but  I  am  hoping  to  come  and  see 
you,  and  to  speak  with  you  face  to  face,  so  that  your  joy  may  be 
complete.  The  children  of  your  eminent  sister  send     13 

you  their  greetings. 


FROM  JOHN 
III. 


THE  LETTER  TO  GAIUS. 

(KNOWN  AS  'THE  THIRD   LETTER  FROM  JOHN'). 


[PLACE  AND  DATE  OF  WRITING  UNKNOWN.] 


THIS  is  a  private  Letter,  addressed  by  a  writer,  who,  as  in 
the  previous  Letter,  describes  himself  as  '  the  Officer  of  the 
Church,'  to  a  friend  of  the  name  of  Gaius.  It  contains  the 
writer's  thanks  for  hospitality  shown  to  certain  missionaries — a 
hospitality  which,  under  the  conditions  of  travel  in  those  early 
days,  was  an  important  Christian  duty. 


FROM    JOHN. 
III. 


To  his  dear  friend  Gaius,  whom  he  sincerely  loves,  I 

FROM  the  Officer  of  the  Church. 

Dear  friend,  I  pray  that  all  may  be  well  with  you  and  that     2 
you  may  have  good  health — I  know  that  all  is  well  with  your 
soul.      For  it  was  a  great  joy  to  me,  when  some   Brothers     3 
came  and  testified  to  your  fidelity  to  the  Truth — I  know  that 
your  own  life  is  guided  by  the  Truth.     Nothing  gives  me     4 
greater  pleasure  than  to  hear  from  time  to  time  that  the  lives 
of  my  Children  are  guided  by  the  Truth. 

Dear  friend,  whatever  you  do  for  our  Brothers  is  done  in  a     5 
Christian  spirit — even  when  they  are  strangers  to  you.     They     6 
themselves  have  testified  before  the  Church  to  your  love  ;  and 
you  will  do  well  to  help  them   on   their  way  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  the  service  of  God.     For  it  was  on  behalf  of  the     7 
Name  that  they  left  their  homes,  and  refused  to  take  anything 
from  the  Gentiles.     We,  therefore,  ought  to  give  such  people     8 
a  hearty  welcome,  and  so  take  our  share  in  their  work  for 
the  Truth. 

I  wrote  a  few  lines  to  the  Church  ;   but  Diotrephes,  who    9 
loves  to  be  first  among  them,  declines  to  recognize  us.    There-     10 
fore,  when  I  come,  I  shall  not  forget  his  conduct  in  ridiculing 
us  with  his  wicked  tongue.     Not  content  with  that,  he  not 
only  declines  to  recognize  our  Brothers. himself,  but  actually 
prevents  those  who  would,  and  expels  them  from  the  Church. 

Dear  friend,  take  what  is  good  for  your  example,  not  what     n 
is  bad.     The  man  who  does  what  is  good  is  from  God  ;  the 
man  who  does  what  is  bad  has  never  seen  God.     Every  one     1 2 
has  always  had  a  good  word  for  Demetrius,  and  the  Truth 
itself  speaks  for  him.     Yes,  and  we  also  add  our  good  word, 
and  you  know  that  what  we  say  about  him  is  true. 


492  III.  JOHN. 

I  have  a  great  deal  to  say  to  you,  but  I  do  not  care  to  trust     13 
it  to  pen  and  ink  in  a  letter.     I  hope,  however,  it  will  not    14 
be  long  before  I  see  you,  and   then   we  will  speak  face  to 
face.  Peace  be  with  you.     Our  friends  here  send  you 

their  greetings.     Greet  each  one  of  our  friends. 


AN  APOCALYPSE. 


THE  REVELATION  OF  JOHN. 


THE  REVELATION. 


THE    REVELATION. 


WRITTEN   IN  ASIA  MINOR,  AFTER  68  A.D. 


IN  the  later  days  of  Jewish  History  the  place  of  prophecy 
was  taken  by  that  form  of  revelation  by  visions  which  was 
known  as  an  '  Apocalypse.' 

'  The  Revelation  of  John  '  is  the  only  example  of  an 
Apocalypse  in  the  New  Testament.  ,  Like  all  books  of  the 
kind,  Jewish  as  well  as  Christian,  its  purpose  is  to  encourage 
its  readers  in  the  belief  that  the  ultimate  triumph  of  their 
Faith  is  assured.  !  In  such  writings  the  historical  crisis  of 
the  day  is  taken  as  the  model  from  which  a  picture  is  drawn 
of  a  great  final  catastrophe.  This  Apocalypse  is  no  exception. 
The  Persecutions  of  64  A.D.  and  onwards,  and  the  events  of 
the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Nero,  afforded  abundant  material  for 
a  picture  of  the  horrors  wrought  by  the  enemies  of  the  Christ, 
and  of  their  impending  final  judgement. 

The  events  of  contemporaneous  history  are  here,  as  in  all 
Apocalypses,  half-hidden  by  the  mystical  shape  in  which  they 
are  presented.  This  is  accounted  for,  partly  by  the  fact  that 
their  authors  saw  that  the  solemnity  of  their  revelations  was 
enhanced  by  their  mystery,  and  partly  by  the  fact  that  it  was 
not  safe  to  indicate  with  too  great  clearness  the  hostile 
Authorities  of  the  day.  V  (Thus,  for  example,  in  this  Book,  the 
name  of  the  Emperor  Nero  is  apparently  veiled  under  the  sym- 
bolical number  666,  the  numerical  value  of  which  is  represented 
by  the  Hebrew  letters  which  spell  that  title).  In  spite  of  their 
obscure  presentation,  many  events  of  this  writer's  time  can  be 
detected  in  the  mystical  scenes  and  figures  here  described. 

The  strange  idioms  in  which  this  Book  abounds  show  that, 
though  the  author  wrote  in  Greek,  he  thought  in  Hebrew. 
There  is  at  present  no  certain  clue  to  his  identity. 


THE 

REVELATION   OF  JOHN. 


The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  -which  God  gave  to  him  to 
make  known  to  his  servants,  concerning  what  must  shoitly  take 
place,  and  which  he  sent  and  revealed  by  his  angel  to  his 
servant  John,  who  testified  to  the  Message  of  God  and  to  the 
testimony  to  Jesus  Christ,  omitting  nothing  of  what  he  had 
seen.  Blessed  is  he  who  reads,  and  blessed  are  they  who  listen 
to,  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  lay  to  heart  what  is  here 
written  ;  for  The  Time  is  near. 


I. — MESSAGES  TO  THE  SEVEN  CHURCHES. 

From  John,  to  the  seven  Churches  which  are  in  Roman  Asia.     4 
Blessing  and  peace  be  yours  from  him  who  is,  and  who  was, 
and  who  shall  be,  and  from  the  seven  Spirits  that  are  before  his 
throne,  and  from  Jesus  Christ,    '  the   faithful   Witness,   the     5 
First-born  from  the  dead,  and  the  Ruler  of  all  the  Kings  of  the 
earth.'  To  him  who  loves  us  and  freed  us  from  our  sins 

by  his  own  blood — and  he  made  us  '  a  Kingdom  of  Priests  in     6 
the  service  of  God,'  his  Father  ! — to  him  be  ascribed  glory 
and  dominion  for  ever.     Amen.  '  He  is  coming  among    7 

the  clouds  ! '  Every  eye  shall  see  him,  even  those  who  pierced 
nim  ;  '  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  wail  for  fear  of 
him.'  So  shall  it  be.  Amen. 

'  I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,'  says  the  Lord,  the  God     8 
who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  shall  be,  the  Almighty. 

I,  John,  who  am  your  Brother,  and  who  share  with  you  in     9 
the  suffering  and  kingship  and  endurance  of  Jesus,  found  my- 
self on  the  island  called  Patmos,  for  the  sake  of  the  Message 
of    God    and   the  testimony   to  Jesus.      I  fell  into   a   trance     10 
on   the   Lord's    Day,    and  I  heard  behind  me  a  loud   voice, 
like   the    blast   of  a   trumpet.     It    said — '  Write   what    you     n 
see  in  a  book  and  send  it  to  the  seven  Churches,  to  Ephesus, 

1  Dan.  2.  28.  *  Exod.  3.  14 ;  Isa.  41.  4 ;  Ps.  89.  37,  27 ;  130.  8 ;  Isa.  40.  a. 
6  Exod.  19.  6.  7  Dan.  7.  13;  Zech.  12.  XQ — 14.  °  Exod.  3.  14;  Isa.  41.  4; 
Amos  4.  13  (Septuagfint). 


498  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  1—2. 

Smyrna,     Pergamus,    Thyatira,    Sardis,    Philadelphia,    and 
Laodicaea.'  I  turned  to  see  what  voice  it  was  that     12 

spoke  to  me  ;  and  when  I  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden  lamps, 
and  in  the  midst  of  the  lamps  one  '  like  a  man,  in  a  robe     13 
reaching  to  his  feet,'  and  with  a  golden  girdle  across  his 
breast.     '  The  hair  of  his  head  was  as  white  as  wool,  as  white     14 
as   snow  ;    his   eyes   were   like   flaming   fire ;     and    his   feet     15 
were   like   brass '  as  when   molten  in  a  furnace  ;    '  his  voice 
was  like  the  sound  of  many  streams,'  in  his  right  hand  he     16 
held  seven  stars,  from  his  mouth  came  a  sharp  two-edged 
sword,  and  his  face  was  like  'the  sun  in  the  fulness  of  its 
power.'  And,  when  I  saw  him,  I  fell  at  his  feet  like  one     17 

dead.     He  laid  his  hand  on  me  and  said — 

'  Do  not  be  afraid.     I  am  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Ever-     18 
living.     I  died,  and  I  am  alive  for  ever  and  ever.     And  I  hold 
the  keys  of.the  Grave  and  of  the  Place  of  the  Dead.    Therefore     19 
write  of  what  you  have  seen  and  of  what  is  happening  now 
and  of  what  is  about  to  take  place — the  mystic  meaning  of    20 
the  seven  stars  which  you  saw  in  my  right  hand,  and  the 
seven  golden  lamps.     The  seven  stars  are  the  Angels  of  the 
seven  Churches,  and  the  seven  lamps  are  the  seven  Churches. 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Ephesus  write  : —  i 

"  These  are  the  words  of  him  who  holds  the  seven  stars  in 
his  right  hand,  and  walks  among  the  seven  golden  lamps  : — I     2 
know  your,  life,  your  toil  and  endurance,  and  I  know  that  you 
cannot  tolerate  evil-doers.     I  know,  too,  how  you  tested  those 
who  declare  that  they  are  Apostles,  though  they  are  not,  and 
how   you    proved  them  false.     You   possess  endurance,  and     3 
have  borne  much  for  my  Name,  and  have  never  grown  weary. 
But  this  I  have  against  you — You  have  abandoned  your  first     4 
love.     Therefore  remember  from  what  you  have  fallen,  and     5 
repent,    and   live    the    life    that   you    lived    before ;    or   else, 
I  will  come  and  remove  your  Lamp  from  its  place,  unless  you 
repent.     But  this  is  in  your  favour — You  hate  the  life  lived  by     6 
the  Nikolaitans,  and  I  also  hate  it.  Let  him  who  has     7 

ears  hear  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  Churches.  To 

him  who  conquers — to  him  I  will  give  the  right  '  to  eat  the 
fruit  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  which  stands  in  the  Paradise  of  God.'  " 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Smyrna  write  : —  8 

"These  are  the  words  of  him  who  is  the  First  and  the  Last, 
who  died,  but  is  restored  to  life  : — I  know  your  persecution  9 

13  Dan.  7.  13 ;  Ezek.  i.  a6 ;  8.  a  ;  o.  a,  3  (Septuagint),  ti  (Septuagint) ;  Dan.  10.  5 
(Chaldaean).  "  Dan.  7.  9.  »*-•«  Dan.  10.  6.  «  Ezek.  i.  34  ;  43.  a  (Hebrew). 
10  Judge*  5-  3«.  17  Dan.  10.  la,  19;  Isa.  44.  6  (Hebrew) ;  48.  13  (Hebrew). 
1B  Isa.  48.  6  ;  Dan.  a.  ao(Chnldaean).  '•*'  Dan.  a.  ao.  '  Gen.  a.  9 ;  3.  aa  ;  Ezek.  31.8. 
8  IM.  44.  6  (Hebrew)  ;  48.  la  (Hebrew). 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  2.  499 

and  your  poverty — yet  you  are  rich  !  I  know,  too,  the  slanders 
that  come  from  those  who  declare  that  they  are  Jews,  though 
they  are  not,  but  are  a  Congregation  of  Satan.  Do  not  be  10 
afraid  of  what  you  are  about  to  suffer.  The  Devil  is  about  to 
throw  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  you  may  be  tempted,  and 
may  undergo  persecution  for  ten  days.  Be  faithful  even  to 
death,  and  I  will  give  you  the  Crown  of  Life.  Let  II 

him  who  has  ears  hear  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the 
Churches.  He  who  conquers  shall  suffer  no  hurt  from 

the  Second  Death." 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Pergamus  write  : —  12 

"  These  are  the  words  of  him  who   holds  the  sharp  two- 
edged  sword  : — I  know  where  you  dwell,  where  the  Throne  of    13 
Satan  stands.     And  yet  you  hold  to  my  Name,  and  you  did 
not  disown  my  Faith  even  in  the  days  of  Antipas,  my  faithful 
witness,   who  was   put   to   death   among   you  where  Satan 
dwells.     Yet  I  have  a  few  things   against  you — You   have     14 
among  you  those  who  hold  to  the  Teaching  of  Balaam,  who 
taught  Balak  to  put  temptations  in  the  way  of  the  Israelites, 
so  that  they  should  eat  idol-offerings  and  commit  licentious 
acts.     Again  you  have  among  you  those  who  hold  in  the  same     15 
way  to  the  Teaching  of  the  Nikolai'tans.     Therefore  repent,  or     16 
else,  I  will  come  quickly  and  contend  with  such  men  with 
words  that  will  cut  like  a  sword.  Let  him  who  has     17 

ears  hear  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  Churches.  To 

him  who  conquers — to  him  I  will  give  a  share  of  the  mystic 
manna,  and  I  will  give  him  a  white  stone  ;  and  on  the  stone 
shall  be  inscribed  a  new  name,  which  no  one  knows  except 
him  who  receives  it." 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Thyatira  write  :—  18 

"  These  are  the  words  of  the  Son  of  God,  '  whose  eyes  are 
like  flaming  fire,  and  whose  feet  are  like  brass  '  : — I    know     19 
your  life,  your  love,  faith,  service,  and  endurance  ;  and  I  know 
that  your  life  of  late  has  been  better  than  it  was  at  first.     Yet     20 
I   have  this  against  you — You  tolerate  the  woman  Jezebel, 
who   declares   that   she   is   a    Prophetess,  and    misleads   my 
servants  by  her  teaching,  till  they  commit  licentious  acts  and 
eat  idol-offerings.     I  gave   her  time   to   repent,  but   she   is     21 
determined  not  to  turn  from  her  licentiousness.     Therefore  I     22 
am  laying  her  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  bringing  great 
suffering  upon  those  who  are  unfaithful  with  her,  unless  they 
repent  and  turn  from  a  life  like  hers.   I  will  also  put  her  children     23 
to  death  ;  and  all  the  Churches  shall  learn  that  I  am  he  who 

10  Dan.   i.   13,   14.      14  Num.  31.   16 ;     25.   i,  a.     W  Ps.  78.  34 ;    Isa.  62.  a ;  65.  15. 
18  Dan.  10.  6.    2°  Num.  35.  i,  2.     &  Jer.  17.  10 ;  Ps.  7.  9  ;  62.  13. 


500  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  2-3. 

'  looks  into  the  hearts  and  souls  of  men ' ;  and  I  will  give  to 
each  one  of  you  what  his  life  deserves.     But  I  say  to  the  rest  of    24 
you  at  Thyatira — all  who  do  not  accept  such  teaching,  those 
who  did  not  learn  '  the  secrets  of  Satan,'  as  men  call  them — 
I  am  not  laying  on  you  any  further  burden  ;  only  hold  fast  to     25 
what  you  have  received,  until  I  come.  To  him  who     26 

conquers  and  is  careful  to  live  my  life  to  the  end — to  him  I  will 
give  authority  over  the  nations,  and  '  he  shall  rule  them  with  an     27 
iron  rod,  as  when  earthen  vessels  are  broken  in  pieces '  (as  I 
myself  have  received  from  my  Father)  and  I  will  give  him    28 
the  Morning  Star.  Let  him  who  has  ears  hear  what    29 

the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  Churches." 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Sardis  write  : —  i 

"  These  are  the  words  of  him  who  has  the  seven  Spirits  of 
God  and  the  seven  stars  : — I   know  your  life,  and  that  men 
say  of  you  that  you  are  living,  though  you  are  dead.     Be  on     2 
the  watch,  and  strengthen  what  still  survives,  though  once  it 
was  all  but  dead  ;  for  I  have  not  found  your  life  perfect  in  the 
eyes  of  my  God.     Therefore  remember  what  you  have  received     3 
and  heard,  and  lay  it  to  heart  and  repent.     Unless  you  are  on 
the  watch,  I  shall  come  like  a  thief,  and  you  will  not  know  at 
what  hour  I  am  coming  to  you.     Yet  there  are  some  few     4 
among  you  at  Sardis  who  did  not  soil  their  robes  ;  they  shall 
walk  with  me,  robed  in  white,  for  they  are  worthy.  He     5 

who  conquers  shall  be  clothed  in  these  white  robes,  and  I  will 
not  '  strike  his  name  out  of  the  Book  of  Life '  ;  but  I  will  own 
him  before  my  Father,  and  before  his  angels.  Let  him  6 

who  has  ears  hear  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  Churches." 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Philadelphia  write  : —  7 

"  These  are  the  words  of  him  who  is  holy  and  true,  who 
holds  '  the  Key  of  David,  who  opens  and  no  one  shall  shut, 
and  shuts  and  no  one  opens ' : — I  know  your  life  (see,  I  have     8 
set  a  door  open  before  you  which  no  one  is  able  to  shut),  I 
know  that,  though  you  have  but  little  strength,  you  kept  my 
teaching  in  mind,  and  did  not  disown  my  Name.     Listen,  I     9 
give  some  of  the  Congregation  of  Satan,  the  men  who  declare 

that  they  are  Jews,  though  they  are  not,  but  are  lying 1 

will  make  them  '  come  and  bow  down  at  your  feet,'  and  they 
shall  learn  that  I  loved  you.     Because  you  kept  in  mind  the     10 
story  of  my  endurance,  I  will  keep  you  in  the  hour  of  trial  that 
is  about  to  come  upon  the  whole  world,  the  hour  that  will  test 
all  who  are  living  upon  earth.     I  will  come  quickly.     Hold     1 1 
to   what   you   have  received,   that   no   one   may   take    your 

*-*!  P«.  a.  8,  9.     B  Exod.  33.  33 ;  P*.  69.  a8.     1  Isa.  22.  aa.     »  Isa.  45.  14 ;  49.  93  ; 
60.  14  (Hebrew) ;  66.  23  ;  43.  4. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  3^*.  501 

crown.  He  who  conquers — I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in     12 

the  Temple  of  my  God  ;  and  never  more  shall  he  leave  it ;  and 
I  will  write  on  him  the  name  of  my  God  and  the  name  of  the 
City  of  my  God,  the  New  Jerusalem,  which  is  coming  down 
out  of  Heaven  from  my  God,  and  I  will  write  on  him  my  new 
name.  Let  him  who  has  ears  hear  what  the  Spirit  is  13 

saying  to  the  Churches." 

To  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Laodicaea  write  : —  14 

"  These  are  the  words  of  the  Unchanging  One,  '  the  Witness 
faithful  and  true,  the  Beginning  of  the  Creation  of  God  '  : — I     15 
know  your  life  ;    I  know  that  you  are  neither  cold  nor  hot. 
Would  that  you  were  either  cold  or  hot  !     But  now,  because     16 
you  are  lukewarm,  neither  hot  nor  cold,  I  am  about  to  spit 
you  out  of  my  mouth.     You  say  '  I  am  rich  and  have  grown     17 
rich,  and  I  want  for  nothing,'  and  you  do  not  know  that  you 
are  wretched,  miserable,  poor,   blind,    naked  !     Therefore    I     18 
counsel  you  to  buy  from  me  gold  which  has  been  refined  by 
fire,  that  you  may  grow  rich  ;  and  white  robes,  that  you  may 
be   clothed   and  your   shameful   nakedness   be  hidden  ;   and 
ointment  to  anoint  your  eyes,  that  you  may  see.     '  All  whom     19 
I  love  I  rebuke  and  discipline.'     Therefore  be  in  earnest  and 
repent.  I  am  standing  at  the  door  and  knocking  !     If    20 

any  one  hears  my  voice  and  opens  the  door,  I  will  go  in,  and 
will  feast  with  him,  and  he  shall  feast  with  me.  To  him  21 

who  conquers — to  him  I  will  give  the  right  to  sit  beside  me  on 
my  throne,  as  I,  when  I  conquered,  took  my  seat  beside  my 
Father  on  his  throne.  Let  him  who  has  ears  hear  whai  22 

the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  Churches," 


II. — THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  SEALS. 

After  this,  in  my  vision,  I  saw  an  open  door  in  the  heavens, 
and  the  first  voice  that  1  heard  was  like  the  blast  of  a  trumpet 
speaking  to  me.  It  said — '  Come  up  here  and  I  will  show  you 
what  must  take  place.'  Immediately  after  this  I  fell  into 
a  trance.  There  stood  a  throne  in  Heaven,  and  on  the 
throne  was  One  seated.  He  who  was  seated  on  it  was  in 
appearance  like  a  jasper  and  a  sardius  ;  and  '  round  the  throne 
there  was  a  rainbow  '  of  the  colour  of  an  emerald.  And  round 
the  throne  were  twenty-four  other  thrones,  and  on  these  I  saw 
twenty-four  Councillors  sitting,  clothed  in  white  robes  ;  and 
on  their  heads  they  had  crowns  of  gold.  Out  from  the  throne 
'  come  flashes  of  lightning,  cries,  and  peals  of  thunder'-! 

12  Ezek.  48.  « ;  Isa.  62.  a  ;  6$.  it.  "  Ps.  89.  37  ;  Prov.  8.  22.  17  Hos.  12.  8. 
19  Prov.  3.  i  (Septuaeint).  1  Exod.  19.  16,  24  ;  Dan.  2.  29.  2  Isa.  6.  i  ;  Ps.  47.  8. 
3  Ezek.  i.  26—28.  5  Ezek.  i.  13;  Exod.  19.  16  (Hebr 


502  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  4-5. 

There  are  seven  torches  burning  in  front  of  the  throne,  which 
are  the  seven  spirits  of  God  ;  and  in  front  of  the  throne  is     6 
what  seemed  to  be  a  sea  of  glass,  '  resembling  crystal,  while 
within  the  space  before  the  throne  and  round  the  throne  are 
four  Creatures  full  of  eyes  '  in  front  and  behind.     The  first    7 
Creature  is  like  a  lion,  the  second  Creature  like  a  calf,  the 
third  Creature  has  a  face  like  a  man's,  and  the  fourth  Creature 
is  like  an  eagle  on  the  wing.     These  four  Creatures  have  each     8 
of  them  six  wings,  and  all  round,  and  within,  they  are  full  of 
eyes  ;  and  day  and  night  they  never  cease  to  say — 

'  Holy,    holy,  holy  is   the   Lord,  our    God,    the 
Almighty,  who  was,  and  who  is,  and  who  shall  be.' 

And,  whenever  these  Creatures  give  praise  and  honour  and     9 
thanks  to  him  who  is  '  seated  on  the  throne,  to  him  who  lives 
for  ever  and  ever,'  the  twenty-four  Councillors  prostrate  them-     ic 
selves  before  him  who  is  seated  on  the  throne,  and  worship 
him  who  lives  for  ever  and  ever,  and  throw  down  their  crowns 
before  the  throne,  saying — 

't  Worthy  art  thou,  our  Lord  and  God,  to  receive  11 

all  praise,  and  honour,  and  power,  for  thou  didst 
create  all  things,  and  at  thy  bidding  they  came  into 
being  and  were  created.' 

Then  I  saw  at  the  right  hand  of  him  who  was  '  seated  on     i 
the  throne  a  book,  with  writing  inside  and  out,  and  sealed  ' 
with  seven  seals  ;  and  I  saw  a  mighty  angel  who  was  pro-     2 
claiming  in  a  loud  voice — '  Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book 
and   break   its   seals  ? '     But    no    one    either    in    Heaven   or     3 
on   earth   or   under  the   earth   was  able   to   open   the  book 
or   look   within    it.     At   this    I    wept   long,    because   no  one     4 
could  be  found  who  was  worthy  to  open    the  book  or   look 
within  it.     But  one  of  the  Councillors  said  to  me — '  Do  not    5 
weep.     The  Lion  conquered — the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
the  Scion  of  David — and  can  therefore  open  the  book  with 
its  seven  seals.' 

Then,  within  the  space  between  the  throne   and   the  four    6 
Creatures,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  Councillors,  I  saw,  standing, 
a  Lamb,  which  seemed  to  have  been  sacrificed.     It  had  seven 
horns  and  seven  eyes.     (These  eyes  are  the  seven  Spirits  of 
God,  and  they  are  sent  into  all  the  world.)     The  Lamb  came     7 
forward  ;  and  he  has  taken  the  book  from  the  right  hand  of 
him  who  was  seated  on  the  throne.  And,  when  he  had    8 

•Ezek.  i  5,  18,  aa,  26;  10.  i  ;  Isa.  6.  i— a.  7  Ezek.  i.  10  ;  10.  14.  8  Isa.  6.  a,  3; 
Ezck.  i.  18;  10.  la ;  Amos  4.  13  (Scptuagint)  ;  Exod.  3.  14;  Isa.  41.  4. 

10  Isa.  6.  i  ;  P».  47.  8;  Dan.  4.  34;  6.  a6 ;  la.  7.  1  Isa.  6.  i  ;  Pa.  47.  8; 
Ezek.  a.  9 — 10  ;  Isa.  ag.  1 1.  K  Gen.  49.  9  ;  Isa.  n.  10.  "  Isa.  53.  7  ;  Zech.  4.  10. 
1  Is*.  6.  i  ;  Ps.  47.  8.  »  Ps.  141.  a. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  5-6.  503 

taken    the    book,   the    four  Creatures    and    the   twenty-four 
Councillors  prostrated  themselves  before  the  Lamb,  each  of 
them  holding  a  harp  and  golden  bowls  full  of  incense.  (These 
are  the  prayers  of  Christ's  People.)     And  they  are  singing  a    9 
new  song — 

'  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  break  its 
seals,  for  thou  wast  sacrificed,  and  with  thy  blood 
thou  didst  buy  for  God  men  of  every  tribe,  and 
language,  and  people,  and  nation,  and  didst  make  10 

them  a  Kingdom  of  Priests  in  the  service  of  our  God, 
and  they  are  reigning  upon  the  earth.' 

Then,    in   my  vision,    I    heard    the   voices   of  many   angels     u 
round  the  throne,  and  of  the  Creatures,  and  of  the  Councillors. 
In  number  they  were  '  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  and 
thousands  of  thousands,'  and  they  cried  in  a  loud  voice —  12 

'  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  sacrificed  to  re- 
ceive all  power,  and  wealth,  and  wisdom,  and  might, 
and  honour,  and  praise,  and  blessing.' 

And  I  heard  every  created  thing  in  the  air,  and  on  the  earth,     13 
and  under  the  earth,  and  on  the  sea,  and  all  that  is  in  them 
crying— 

'  To  him  who  is  seated  on  the  throne  and  to  the 
Lamb  be  ascribed  all  blessing,  and  honour,  and 
praise,  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.' 

And   the   four  Creatures  said  'Amen,'  and   the   Councillors     14 
prostrated  themselves  and  worshipped. 

Then  I  saw  the  Lamb  break  one  of  the  seven  seals,  and  I     i 
heard  one  of  the   four  Creatures   crying  with   a   voice   like 
thunder — 'Come.'    And  in  my  vision  I  saw  '  a  white  horse.'     2 
Its  rider  held  a  bow,  and  he  was  given  a  crown,  and  he  went 
out  conquering  and  to  conquer. 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  second  seal,  I  heard  the  second     3 
Creature   crying — '  Come.'     Then   there  went   out   another    4 
horse,  '  a  red  horse,'  and  to  its  rider  was  given  the  power  to 
deprive   the   earth   of  peace,    so   that   men    should    kill   one 
another  ;  and  he  was  given  a  great  sword. 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  third  seal,  I  heard  the  third     5 
Creature  crying — 'Come.'     And  in  my  vision  I  saw  '  a  black 
horse.'     Its  rider  held  scales  in  his  hand.     And  I  heard  what     6 
seemed  to  be  a  voice,  coming  from  among  the  four  Creatures, 

9  Ps.  144.  9.    10  Exod.  19.  6.    11  Dan.  7.  10.    12  isa.  S3.  7.    18  Isa.  6.  i ;  Ps.  47.  8. 
&-BZech.  1.8;  6.  2—3,6. 


504  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  6-7. 

crying — '  A  quart  of  wheat  for  a  florin,  and  three  quarts  of 
barley  for  a  florin  !     But  do  not  harm  the  oil  and  the  wine.' 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  fourth  seal,  I  heard  the  voice  of    7 
the  fourth  Creature  crying — '  Come.'     And  in  my  vision  I  saw     8 
a  grey  horse.      His  rider's  name  was  Death,  and  the  Lord 
of  the  Place  of  Death  rode  behind  him  ;  and  power  was  given 
them  over  the  fourth  part  of  the  earth,  so  that  they  might 
'  destroy  with  sword  and  famine  and  death,  and  by  means  of 
the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth.' 

When  the  Lamb  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the  altar    9 
the  souls  of  those  who  had  been  killed  for  the  sake  of  God's 
Message  and  for  the  testimony  which  they  had  borne.     They     10 
cried  in  a  loud  voice — '  How  long,  O  Sovereign  Lord,  holy 
and  true,  before  thou  wilt  give  judgement  and  avenge  our 
blood  upon  all  who  are  living  upon  the  earth  ?  '    Then  to  each     II 
of  them  was  given  a  white  robe,  and  they  were  told  to  rest  yet 
a  little  longer,  till  the  number  of  their  fellow-servants  and  of 
their  Brothers  who  were  about  to  be  put  to  death,  as  they  had 
been,  should  be  complete. 

And  I  saw  the  Lamb  break  the  sixth  seal,  and  then  there     12 
was  a  great  earthquake.     The  sun  became  black,  like  sack- 
cloth, and  the  moon,  which  was  at  its  full,  like  blood.     '  The     13 
stars  of  the  heavens  fell '  to  the  earth,  as  when  a  fig-tree, 
shaken  by  a  strong  wind,  drops  its  unripe  fruit.    The  heavens     14 
disappeared  like  a  scroll  when  it  is  rolled  up,  and  every  moun- 
tain and  island  was  moved   from   its  place.     Then  all  the     15 
kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  princes,  and  the  generals,  and  the 
rich,  and  the  powerful,  and  every  slave  and  free  man,  '  hid 
themselves  in  the  caves  and  under  the  rocks  '  of  the  mountains  ; 
and  they  are  crying  to  the  mountains  and  the  rocks — '  Fall     16 
upon  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  eyes  of  him  who  is  seated  on 
the  throne,  and  from  the  Wrath  of  the  Lamb,  for  the  great     17 
Day  of  their  Wrath  is  come,  and  who  can  stand  to  meet  it  ?  ' 

After  this,    I    saw   four  angels   standing   '  upon   the   four     i 
corners  of  the  earth,'  restraining  the  four  winds  of  the  earth, 
that  no  wind  should  blow  over  the  earth,  or  over  the  sea,  or 
against  any  tree.     And,  in  the  east,    I   saw  another  angel,     2 
ascending,  holding  the  seal  of  the  Living  God  ;  and  he  cried 
in  a  loud  voice  to  the  four  angels,  to  whom  there  had  been 
given  power  to  harm  the  earth  and  the  sea — '  Do  not  harm  the     3 
earth,    or  the   sea,  or   the   trees,  until   we   have   sealed   the 
servants  of  our  God  upon  their  foreheads.'  I  heard,     4 

too,  the  number  of  those  who  had  been  sealed.  It  was  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  ;  and  they  were  from  every 
tribe  of  the  Israelites. 

•  Hon.  13.  14;  Ezek.  33.  ay:  14.  ai  ;  «.  u;  29.  5 ;  34.  a8.  1°  Zech.  i.  ia; 
Deut.  32.  43  ;  a  King*  9.  7  ;  Hos.  4.  i.  «  Joel  a.  31.  IS— l*  Iga.  34.  4 ;  13.  «o. 
18  Ps.  48.  4  (Scptuag-int) ;  a.  a;  Isa.  24.  21  ;  34.  ia;  Jcr.  4.  39;  Isa.  a.  10. 
1«  Hoa.  10.  8  ;  Isa.  6.  i  ;  PH.  47.  8.  "  Joel  a.  n  ;  Zeph.  i.  14—15,  18;  Mai.  3.  a. 
1  Ezck.  7.  a ;  37.  9  ;  Zech.  6.  $.  3  Ezek.  9.  4. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  7.  505 

From  the  tribe  of  Judah  twelve  thousand  were  sealed,  5 

from  the  tribe  of  Reuben  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Gad  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Asher  twelve  thousand,  6 

from  the  tribe  of  Napthali  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Manasseh  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Simeon  twelve  thousand,  7 

from  the  tribe  of  Levi  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Issachar  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Zebulon  twelve  thousand,  8 

from  the  tribe  of  Joseph  twelve  thousand, 

from  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  twelve  thousand  were  sealed. 

After  this,  in  my  vision,  I  saw  a  vast  throng  which  no  man     9 
could  number,  of  men  from  every  nation  and  of  all  tribes,  and 
peoples,  and  languages.     They  stood  in  front  of  the  throne 
and   in   front   of  the  Lamb,   robed   in  white,   holding   palm 
branches  in  their  hands.     And   they  are   crying   in   a   loud     10 
voice — 

'  Salvation  be  ascribed  to  our  God  who  is  seated 
on  his  throne  and  to  the  Lamb.' 

And  all  the  angels  were  standing  round  the  throne  and  the     il 
Councillors  and  the  four  Creatures,  and  they  prostrated  them-, 
selves  on  their  faces  in  front  of  the  throne  and  worshipped 
God,  saying —  12 

'  Amen.  Blessing,  and  praise,  and  wisdom,  and 
thanksgiving,  and  honour,  and  power,  and  might  be 
ascribed  to  our  God  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. ' 

Then  one  of  the  Councillors  turned  to  me  and  said  '  Who     13 
are  these  who   are   robed   in  white  ?  and  whence  did   they 
come  ? ' 

'  My  Lord,'  I  answered,  '  it  is  you  who  know.'  14 

'These,'  he  said,  'are  they  who  come  through  the  Great 
Persecution  ;    they  washed   their  robes  white   in   the   blood 
of  the  Lamb.     And  therefore  it  is  that  they  are  before  the     15 
throne  of  God,  and  are  serving  him  day  and  night  in  his 
Temple  ;  and  he  who  is  seated  on  the  throne  will  shelter 
them.     Never  again  shall  they  be  hungry,  never  again  shall     16 
they  be  thirsty,  nor  shall  the  sun  smite  upon  them,  nor  any 
scorching  heat  ;  for  the  Lamb  that  stands  in  the  space  before     17 
the  throne  will  be  their  shepherd,  and  will  lead  them  to  life- 
giving  springs  of  water  ;  and  God  will  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes.' 

10  Isa.  6.  i ;  Ps.  47.  8.      "  Dan.  12.  i  ;  Gen.  49.  n.      i»  Isa.  6.  i ;    Ps.  47.  8. 
16— W  Isa.  49.  10.     17  Ezek.  34.  23;  Jer.  2.  13;  Isa.  25.  8;  Jer.  31.  16. 


506  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  8—9. 

As  soon  as  the  Lamb  had  broken  the  seventh  seal,  there 
was  silence  in  Heaven  for,  it  might  be,  half-an-hour. 


III. — THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  TRUMPET-BLASTS. 

Then  I  saw  the  seven  angels  who  stand  before  God,  and     2 
seven  trumpets  were  given  to  them. 

Next,  another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar  with  a     3 
golden  censer  in  his  hand  ;  and  a  great  quantity  of  incense 
was  given  to  him,  to  mingle  with  the  prayers  of  all  Christ's 
People  upon  the  golden  altar  before  the  throne.     The  smoke     4 
of  the  incense  ascended,  with  the  prayers  of  Christ's  People, 
from  the  hand  of  the  angel  before  God.     Then  the  angel  took     5 
the  censer,  and  filled  it  with  fire  from  the  altar,  and  threw  it 
down  upon  the  earth  ;  and  there  followed  '  peals  of  thunder, 
cries,  flashes  of  lightning,'  and  an  earthquake. 

Then  the  seven  angels  holding  the  seven  trumpets  prepared     6 
to  blow  their  blasts. 

The  first  blew  ;  and  there  came  hail  and  fire  mixed  with     7 
blood,  and  it  fell  upon  the  earth.     A  third  part  of  the  earth 
was  burnt  up,  and  a  third  of  the  trees,  and  every  blade  of 
grass.  * 

Then  the  second  angel  blew  ;  and  what  appeared  to  be  a    8 
great  mountain,  burning,  was  hurled  into  the  sea.     A  third  of 
the  sea  became  blood,  and  a  third  part  of  all  created  things     9 
that  are  in  the  sea — that  is,  of  all  living  things — died,  and  a 
third  of  the  ships  was  destroyed. 

Then  the  third  angel  blew  ;  and  there  fell  from  the  heavens     10 
a  great  star,  burning  like  a  torch.     It  fell  upon  a  third  of  the 
rivers  and  upon   the  springs.     (The  star  is  called   'Worm-     n 
wood.')     A  third  of  the  water  became  bitter  as  wormwood, 
and  so  bitter  was  the  water  that  many  died  from  drinking  it. 

Then  the  fourth  angel  blew  ;  and  a  third  of  the  sun  and  a     12 
third  of  the  moon  and  a  third  of  the  stars  were  blasted,  so 
that  a  third  of  them  was  eclipsed,  and  for  a  third  part  of  the 
day  there  was  no  light,  and  at  night  it  was  the  same. 

And,  in  my  vision,  I  heard  an  eagle  flying  in  mid-heaven     13 
and  crying  in  a  loud  voice — '  Woe,  woe,  woe  for  all  who  live 
on  the  earth,  at  the  other  trumpet-blasts  of  the  three  angels 
who  have  yet  to  blow.' 

Then  the  fifth  angel  blew  ;  and  I  saw  a  Star  that  had  fallen     i 
upon  the  earth  from  the  heavens,  and  to  him  was  given  the 
key  of  the  bottomless  pit.     He  opened  the  bottomless  pit,  and     2 

'  Anton  p.  i.  *— *  P».  1^1.  a.  *  Lev.  16.  la  ;  Exod.  19.  16  (Hebrew  and  Septua- 
pint).  1  Exod.  9.  34;  Ezelc.  38.  aa  ;  Joel  a.  30.  8  ler.  51.  35;  Exod.  7.  19. 
'"  Ua.  14.  i*.  8  Gen.  19.  28  (Hebrew) ;  Exod.  19.  18  ;  Joel  a.  10. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  9.  507 

from  the  pit  rose  a  smoke  like  the  smoke  of  a  great  furnace. 
The  sun  and  the  air  grew  dark  because  of  the  smoke  from  the 
pit.     Out  of  the  smoke  locusts  descended  upon  the  earth,  and     3 
they  received  the  same  power  as  that  possessed  by  scorpions. 
They  were  told  not  to  harm  the  grass,  or  any  plant,  or  any     4 
tree,  but  only  those  who  have  not  '  the  seal  of  God  upon  their 
foreheads.'     Yet  they  were  not  allowed  to  kill  them,  but  it     5 
was  ordered  that  those  men  should  be  tortured  for  five  months. 
Their  torture  was  like  the  torture  caused  by  a  scorpion  when 
it  stings  a  man.     In  those  days  men  '  will  seek  Death  and     6 
will  not  find  it ' ;  they  will  long  to  die,  but  Death  flees  from 
them.     In  appearance  the  locusts  were  like  horses  equipped     7 
for  battle.     On  their  heads  there  were  what  appeared  to  be 
crowns  that  shone  like  gold,  their  faces   resembled   human 
faces,  and  they  had  hair  like  the  hair  of  a  woman,  their  teeth     8 
were  like  lions'  teeth,  and  they  had  what  seemed  to  be  iron     9 
breastplates,  while  the  noise  of  their  wings  was  like  the  noise 
of  chariots  drawn  by  many  horses,  galloping  into  battle.    They     10 
have  tails  like  scorpions,  and  stings,  and  in  their  tails  lies 
their  power  to  harm  men  for  five  months.     They  have  as  their     1 1 
king  the  Angel  of  the  bottomless  pit,  whose  name,  in  Hebrew, 
is  'Abaddon,'  while,  in  Greek,  his  name  is  '  Apollyon  '  (the 
Destroyer). 

The  first  Woe  has  passed  ;  and  still  there  are  two  Woes  to     12 
follow  ! 

Then  the  sixth  angel  blew  ;  and  I  heard  a  voice  proceeding     13 
from  the  corners  of  the  golden  altar  that  stood  before  God. 
It  spoke  to  the  sixth  angel— the  angel  with  the  trumpet — and     14 
said  '  Let  loose  the  four  angels  that  are  in  chains  at  the  great 
river  Euphrates.'     Then  the  four  angels,  that  were  held  in     15 
readiness  for  that  hour  and  day  and  month  and  year,  were  let 
loose,  to  destroy  a  third  of  mankind.     The  number  of  the     16 
hosts  of  horsemen  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  twice 
told  ;  I  heard  their  number.     And  this  is  what  the  horses  and     17 
their  riders  appeared  to  be  like  in  my  vision  : — They   had 
breastplates  of  fire,  blood-red  and  sulphurous,  and  the  heads 
of  the  horses  were  like  lions'  heads,  while  out  of  their  mouths 
issue  fire,  and  smoke,  and  sulphur.      Through  these  three     18 
Curses  a  third  of  mankind  perished — because  of  the  fire,  and 
the  smoke,  and  the  sulphur  that  issued  from  their  mouths  ; 
for  the  power  of  the  horses  lies  in  their  mouths  and  in  their     19 
tails.     For  their  tails  are  like  snakes,  with  heads,  and  it  is  with 
them  that  they  do  harm.     But  those  who  were  left  of  mankind,     20 
who  had  not  perished  through  these  Curses,  did  not  repent  and 
turn  away  from  what  their  own  hands  had  made  ;  they  would 

3 — *  Exod.  10.  12,  15.  *  Ezek.  9.  4.  6  Job  3.  21.  7  Joel  2.  4,  5.  8  Joel  i.  6. 
»  Joel  2.  £.  1*  Gen.  15.  18;  Deut.  i.  7;  Josh.  i.  4.  a>  Isa.  17.  8  ;  Dan.  5.  3,  23 
(Septuagint) ;  Dan.  5.  4,  23  (Chaldaean) ;  Deut.  32.  17  ;  Ps.  115.  7. 


508  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  9-11. 

not  abandon  the  worship  of  '  demons,  and  of  idols  made  of 
gold  or  silver  or  brass  or  stone  or  wood,  which  can  neither  see, 
nor  hear,  nor  walk ' ;  and  they  did  not  repent  of  their  murders, 
or  their  sorceries,  or  their  licentiousness,  or  their  thefts. 

Then  I  saw  another  mighty  angel,  descending  from  Heaven. 
His  robe  was  a  cloud  ;  over  his  head  was  the  rainbow  ;  his 
face  was  like  the  sun,  and  his  feet  like  pillars  of  fire  ;  in  his 
hand  he  held  a  little  book  open.  He  set  his  right  foot  on  the 
sea,  and  his  left  on  the  land  ;  and  he  cried  in  a  loud  voice  like 
the  roaring  of  a  lion.  At  his  cry  the  seven  peals  of  thunder 
spoke,  each  with  its  own  voice.  And,  when  they  spoke, 

I  was  about  to  write  ;  but  I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  say — • 
'  Keep  secret  what  the  seven  peals  of  thunder  said,  and  do  not 
write  it  down.'  Then  the  angel,  whom  I  had  seen 

standing  on  the  sea  and  on  the  land,  '  raised  his  right  hand 
to  the  heavens,  and  swore  by  him  who  lives  for  ever  and  ever, 
who  created  the  heavens  and  all  that  is  in  them,  and  the  earth 
and  all  that  is  in  it,  and  the  sea  and  all  that  is  in  it,'  that  time 
should  cease  to  be.  Moreover  at  the  time  when  the  seventh 
angel  shall  speak,  when  he  is  ready  to  blow  his  blast,  then  the 
hidden  purposes  of  God,  of  which  he  told  the  good  news  to  his 
servants,  the  Prophets,  are  at  once  fulfilled.  Then 

came  the  voice  which  I  had  heard  from  Heaven.  It  spoke  to 
me  again,  and  said — '  Go  and  take  the  book  that  is  open  in 
the  hand  of  the  angel  who  stands  on  the  sea  and  on  the  land.' 
So  I  went  to  the  angel  and  asked  him  to  give  me  the  little 
book.  And  he  said  '  Take  it,  and  eat  it.  It  will  be  bitter  to 
your  stomach,  but  in  your  mouth  it  will  be  as  sweet  as  honey.' 
I  took  the  little  book  out  of  the  angel's  hand  '  and  ate  it,  and, 
while  in  my  mouth,  it  was  like  the  sweetest  honey '  ;  but, 
when  I  had  eaten  it,  it  was  bitter  to  my  stomach.  And  I  was 
told — '  You  must  prophesy  again  about  men  of  many  peoples, 
and  nations,  and  languages,  and  about  many  kings.' 

Then  I  was  given  a  measure  like  a  rod,  and  a  voice  said  to 
me — '  Go  and  measure  the  Temple  of  God  and  the  altar,  and 
count  the  worshippers  there.  But  omit  the  court  outside  the 
Temple,  and  do  not  measure  that,  for  it  has  been  given  up  to  the 
nations  ;  and  the  holy  City  will  be  under  their  heel  for  forty-two 
months.  Then  I  will  give  permission  to  my  Two  Witnesses, 
and  for  those  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  days  they  will  continue 
teaching,  clothed  in  sackcloth.'  These  men  are  repre- 

sented by  '  the  two  olive  trees  and  the  two  lamps  that  stand 
before  the  Lord  of  the  earth.'  When  any  one  wishes  to  harm 
them,  '  fire  comes  from  their  mouths  and  consumes  their 
enemies  ' ;  and  whoever  wishes  to  harm  them  will,  in  this  way, 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  11.  509 

inevitably  perish.     These  men  have  the  power  to  close  the     6 
heavens,  that  '  no  rain  may  fall '  during  the  time  that  they  are 
teaching  ;  and  they  have  power   '  to  turn  the  streams  into 
blood,  and  to  smite  the  land  with  any  Curse,'  whenever  they 
will.     As  soon  as  they  have  completed  their  testimony,  '  the     7 
wild  Beast  that  ascends  from  the  bottomless  pit  will  make 
war  upon  them  and  conquer  '  and  kill  them.     Their  dead     8 
bodies  will  lie  in  the  streets  of  the  great  City,  which  is  mysti- 
cally spoken  of  as  '  Sodom'  and  '  Egypt,'  where  their  Master 
was  crucified.     Men  of  all  peoples,  and  tribes,  and  languages,     g 
and  nations  look  at  their  dead  bodies  for  three  days  and  a  half, 
and  do  not  allow  them  to  be  laid  in  a  grave.     Those  who  live     10 
on  the  earth  rejoice  over  them  and  are  merry,  and  they  will 
send  presents  to  one  another,  because   these   two    Prophets 
brought  torments  upon  those  who  live  on  the  earth.    After  three     1 1 
days  and  a  half  '  the  life-giving  breath  of  God  entered  these 
men,  and  they  stood  up  upon  their  feet,'  and  a  great  terror 
took  possession  of  those  who  were  watching  them.     The  two     12 
men  heard  a  loud  voice  from  Heaven  which  said  to  them — 
'Come  up  here,' and  they  went  up  to  Heaven  in  the  cloud, 
while  their  enemies  watched  them.  At  that  very  time  a     13 

great  earthquake  occurred.  A  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell,  and 
seven  thousand  people  perished  in  the  earthquake.  Those  who 
escaped  were  much  terrified,  and  praised  the  God  of  Heaven. 

The  second  Woe  has  passed  ;  and  there  is  a  third  Woe  soon     14 
to  follow  ! 

Then  the  seventh  angel  blew ;  and  loud  voices  were  heard     15 
in  Heaven  saying — 

'  The  Kingdom  of  the  World  has  become  the 
Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  and  he  will 
reign  for  ever  and  ever. ' 

At  this  the  twenty-four  Councillors,  who  were  seated  on  their     16 
thrones  before  God,  prostrated  themselves  on  their  faces  and 
worshipped  Him,  saying —  17 

'  We  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  our  God,  the  Almighty, 
who  art  and  who  wast,  that  thou  hast  assumed  thy 
great  power  and  reigned.  The  nations  were  enraged,  18 

and  thy  Wrath  fell  upon  them  ;  the  time  came  for  the 
dead  to  be  judged,  and  for  thee  to  give  the  reward  to 
thy  servants  the  Prophets,  and  to  the  People  of 
Christ,  and  to  those  who  reverence  thy  Name — the 
high  and  the  low  alike — and  to  destroy  those  who  are 
destroying  the  earth.' 

8  i  Kings  17.  i  ;  Exod.  7.  17,  19  ;  i  Sam.  4.  8.  7  Dan.  7.  3,  7 — 8  (Septuagint),  ai. 
8  Isa.  i.  10.  10-11  Ps.  105.  38.  11  Ezek.  37.  5,  10.  12  3  Kings  a.  n. 
13  Ezek.  38.  19—20  ;  Dan.  a.  i9(Chaldaean).  1»  Obad.  ai  ;  Ps.  aa.  a8  ;  Exod.  15.  18 ; 
Ps.  10.  16 ;  Dan.  a.  44  ;  7.  14  ;  Ps.  2.  a.  I7  Amos.  4. 13  (Septuagint) ;  Exod.  3.  14 ; 
Isa.  41.  4.  17— 1»  Ps.  99.  i.  18  Ps.  a.  i  (Hebrew),  5;  46.  6  (Hebrew)  ;  115.  13; 
Amos  3.  7;  Dan.  9.  6,  10;  Zech.  i.  6. 


510  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  11— 12. 

Then  the  Temple  of  God  in  Heaven  was  opened,  and  the  Ark     19 
containing  his  Covenant  was  seen  in  his  Temple  ;  and  there 
followed   '  flashes   of  lightning,  cries,    peals  of  thunder,'  an 
earthquake,  and  'a  great  storm  of  hail.' 


IV. — THE  VISION  OF  SEVEN  SYMBOLICAL  FIGURES. 

Then  a  great  portent  was  seen  in  the  heavens — a  woman     i 
whose  robe  was  the  sun,  and  who  had  the  moon  under  her 
feet,  and  on  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars.     She  was  with     2 
child  ;  and  '  she  is  crying  out  in  the  pain  and  agony  of  child- 
birth.'    Another  portent  also  was  seen  in  the  heavens.     There     3 
was  a  great  red  Dragon,  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns, 
and  on  his  heads  were  seven  diadems.     His  tail  draws  after    4 
it  a  third  of  the  stars  in  the  heavens,  and  it  hurled  them  down 
on  the  earth.     The  Dragon  is  standing  in  front  of  the  woman 
who  is  about  to  give  birth  to  the  child,  so  that  he  may  devour 
it  as  soon  as  it  is  born.     The  woman  gave  birth  to  a  son,  a     5 
male  child,  who  is  destined  to  rule  all  the  nations  with  an  iron 
rod  ;  and  her  child  was  at  once  caught  up  to  God  upon  his 
throne.    But  the  woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  where  there  is     6 
a  place  prepared  for  her  by  God,  to  be  tended  there  for  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty  days. 

Then  a  battle  took  place  in  the  heavens.     Michael  and  his    7 
angels  fought  with  the  Dragon.     But  though  the  Dragon, 
with  his  angels,  fought,  he  did  not  prevail  ;   and  there  was     8 
no  place  left  for  them  any  longer  in  the  heavens.     Then  the     9 
great  Dragon,  the  primeval  Serpent,  known  as  the  '  Devil ' 
and  '  Satan,'  who  deceives  all  the  world,  was  hurled  down  to 
the  earth,  and  his  angels  were  hurled  down  with  him.     And     10 
I  heard  a  loud  voice  in  Heaven  which  said — 

'  Now  has  begun  the  day  of  the  Salvation,  and 
Power,  and  Dominion  of  our  God,  and  the  Rule  of 
his  Christ  ;  for  the  Accuser  of  our  Brothers  has  been 
hurled  down,  he  who  has  been  accusing  them  before 
our  God  day  and  night.  Their  victory  was  due  to  u 

the  Blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  to  the  Message  to  which 
they  bore  their  testimony.  In  their  love  of  life  they 
shrank  not  from  death.  Therefore,  be  glad,  O  12 

Heaven,  and  all  who  live  in  Heaven  !  Alas  for  the 
earth  and  for  the  sea,  for  the  Devil  has  gone  down  to 
you  in  great  fury,  knowing  that  he  has  but  little 
time.' 

W  i  King*  8.  t.  6;  a  Chron.  5.  7;  Exod.  19.  16  (Hebrew  and  Septuagint); 
Exod.  9.  24.  a  Isa.  66.  6—7.  3  Dan.  7.  7.  *  Dan.  8.  10.  »  isa.  66.  7  ;  Ps.  a.  8—0. 
1  Dan.  10.  13—30.  *  Gen.  3.  i  ;  Zech.  3.  i— a  (Hebrew  and  Septuagint). 
12  I»a-  44-  '3  I  49-  «3- 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  12-1$.          611 

When  the  Dragon  saw  that  he  was  hurled  down  to  the     13 
earth,  he  pursued  the  woman  who  had  given  birth  to  the  male 
child.     But  to  the  woman  were  given  the  two  wings  of  the     14 
great  eagle,  so  that  she  might  fly  to  her  place  in  the  wilderness, 
where  she  is  being  tended  for  '  one  year,  and  for  two  years, 
and  for  half  a  year,'  in  safety  from  the  Serpent.     Then  the     15 
Serpent  poured  water  from  its  mouth  after  the  woman,  like  a 
river,  so  that  it  might  sweep  her  away.     But  Earth  came  to     16 
her  help,  and  opened  her  mouth  and  drank  up  the  river  which 
the  Dragon  had  poured  out  of  its  mouth.     The  Dragon  was     17 
enraged  at  the  woman,  and  went  to  fight  with  the  rest  of  her  off- 
spring— those  who  lay  to  heart  the  commands  of  God  and  bear 
their  testimony  to  Jesus ;  and  he  took  his  stand  on  the  sea-shore. 

Then  I  saw,  '  rising  out  of  the  sea,  a  wild  Beast  with  ten     i 
horns  '  and  seven  heads.     On  its  horns  were  ten  diadems,  and 
on  its  heads  were  blasphemous  names.     The  Beast  that  I  saw     2 
was  like  a  leopard  ;  but  its  feet  were  like  a  bear's,  and  its 
mouth  like  the  mouth  of  a  lion.      The  Dragon  gave  it   his 
power  and  his  throne,  and  wide  dominion.     One  of  its   heads     3 
seemed  to  me  to  have  been  mortally  wounded,  but  its  deadly 
wound  had  been  healed.    The  whole  earth  followed  the  Beast, 
wondering  ;  and  men  worshipped  the  Dragon,  because  he  had     4 
given  his  dominion  to  the  Beast  ;  while,  as  they  worshipped 
the  Beast,  they  said — '  Who  can  compare  with  the  Beast  ? 
and  who  can  fight  with  it  ? '     The  Beast  was  given  '  a  mouth     5 
that  spoke  proudly '  and  blasphemously,  and  it  was  empowered 
to  work  its  will  for  forty-two  months.     It  opened  its  mouth     6 
only  to   blaspheme   God,  to   blaspheme   his    Name   and   his 
Tabernacle — those  who  dwell  in  his  Tabernacle  in  Heaven. 
It  had  been  permitted  to  fight  with  Christ's  People  and  to     7 
conquer  them,  and  it  had  received  power  over  men  of  every 
tribe,   and  people,  and  language,  and  nation.     All  who  are     8 
living  on  earth  will  worship  it — all  whose  names  have  not 
been  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  the  Lamb  that  has 
been  sacrificed  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Let    9 

him  who  has  ears  hear.     '  Whoever  is  destined  for  captivity     10 
goes  into  captivity.'     Whoever  shall  kill  with  the  sword  must 
inevitably  be    killed  with   the    sword.  (Here  there  is 

need  for  endurance  and  faith  on  the  part  of  Christ's  People.) 

Then  I  saw,  rising  out  of  the  earth,  another  wild  Beast.     It     1 1 
had  two  horns  like  those  of  a  lamb,  and  its  voice  was  like  a 
dragon's.     It  exercises   all   the   authority  of  the  first  Beast     12 
under  its  very  eyes  ;  and  it  makes  the  earth  and  all  who  are 
living  on  it  worship  that  first  Beast,  whose  mortal  wound  was 
healed.     It  performs  great  marvels,  even  causing  fire  to  fall     13 
from  the  heavens  to  the  earth,  before  men's  eyes  ;  and  in  con-     14 

14  Dan.  7.  25 ;   12.  7.      1  Dan.  7.  3,  7.      2  Dan.  7.  4 — 6,  8.       B  Dan.  8.  12,  24. 
7  Dan.  7.  8  (Septuagint),  21.     8  Dan.  12.  i  ;  Ps.  69.  28 ;  Isa.  53.  7.     10  Jer.  15.  2. 


512  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  13-14. 

sequence  of  the  marvels  which  it  was  allowed  to  perform  under 
the  eyes  of  the  Beast,  it  is  able  to  deceive  all  who  are  living 
on  the  earth.     It  bids  those  who  live  on  the  earth  to  make  a 
statue  in  honour  of  the  Beast,  who,  despite  the  wound  from 
the  sword,  yet  lived.     It  was  permitted  to  breathe  life  into  the     15 
image  of  the  Beast,  so  that  the  image  of  the  Beast  might 
speak ;  and  it  was  also  permitted  to  cause  all  who  refused  to 
worship  the  image  of  the  Beast  to  be  put  to  death.     High     16 
and  low,  rich  and  poor,  freemen  and  slaves — it  causes  a  brand 
to  be  put  on  the  right  hand  or  on  the  forehead  of  every  one 
of  them,  so  that  no  one  is  able  to  buy  or  sell,  except  those  that     17 
bear  this  brand — either  the  name  of  the  Beast  or  the  number 
indicated  by  the  letters  of  his  name.  (Here  there  is  need     18 

for  discernment.)  Let  him  who  has  the  ability  compute  the 
number  of  the  Beast ;  for  the  number  indicates  a  man's  name. 
Its  number  is  six  hundred  and  sixty-six. 

Then,  in  my  vision,  I  saw  the  Lamb  standing  on   Mount     i 
Zion.    With  him  were  a  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  men, 
with  his  name  and  the  name  of  his  Father  written  on  their 
foreheads.     And    I    heard   a   sound   from  Heaven,    '  like   the     2 
sound  of  many  waters,'  and  like  the  sound  of  a  loud  peal  of 
thunder  ;  the  sound  that  I  heard  was  like  the  music  of  harpers 
playing  on  their  harps.     They  are  singing  what  seems  to  be  a     3 
new  song,  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  four  Creatures 
and  the  Councillors  ;  and  no  one  was  able  to  learn  that  song 
except  the  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  who  had  been  re- 
deemed from  earth.     These  are  the  men  who  never  defiled     4 
themselves  in  their  intercourse  with  women  ;  they  are  as  pure 
as  virgins.    These  are  the  men  who  follow  the  Lamb  wherever 
he  goes.     They  were  redeemed  as  the  first-fruits  of  mankind 
for  God  and  for  the  Lamb.     '  No  lie  was  ever  heard  upon     5 
their  lips.'    They  are  beyond  reach  of  blame. 

Then  I  saw  another  angel,  flying  in  mid-heaven.     He  had    6 
the  Good  News,  decreed  from  eternity,  to  announce  to  those 
who  dwell  on  the  earth — to  men  of  every  nation,  and  tribe, 
and  language,  and  people  ;  and  he  cried  in  a  loud  voice —    7 
'  Reverence  God,  and  give  him  praise  (for  the  hour  of  his 
Judgement  has  come)  and  worship  him  who  made  the  heaven 
and  the  earth  and  the  sea  and  all  springs  of  water.' 

Then  a  second  angel  followed,  crying — '  She  has  fallen  !    8 
She   has   fallen — Babylon  the  Great,  who   has  made  all  the 
nations  drink  the  maddening  wine  of  her  licentiousness  ! ' 

Then  a  third  angel  followed  them,  crying  in  a  loud  voice —    9 
'  Whoever  worships  the  Beast  and  its  image,  and  receives  its 

18  Dan.  3.  «— 6.  ]  Ezclc.  q.  4.  2  Ezek.  i.  34  ;  43.  2  (Hebrew);  Dan.  10  6. 
*  IV  144.  9.  »  Isa.  53.  q  ;  Zeph.  3.  13.  1  Exod.  20.  11  ;  Pa.  146.  6.  H  Isa.  21.  9 ; 
Dan.  4.  30  ;  Jcr.  51.  7—8. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  14-15.  513 

brand  on  his  forehead  or  on  his  hand,  that  man  shall  drink     10 
the  maddening  wine  of  God  that  has  been  poured  unmixed 
into  the  cup  of  his  Wrath,  and  he  shall  be  tortured  with  fire  and 
sulphur  before  the  eyes  of  the  holy  angels  and  before  the  eyes 
of  the  Lamb.     The  smoke  from   their  torture  rises  for  ever     u 
and  ever,  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor  night — those  who 
worship  the  Beast  and  its  image,  and  all  who  are  branded 
with  its  name.'  (Here  there  is  need  for  endurance  on     12 

the  part  of  Christ's  People — those  who  lay  to  heart  the  com- 
mands of  God  and  the  Faith  of  Jesus.) 

Then  I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  saying  '  Write — "  Blessed     13 
are  the  dead  who  from  this  hour  die  in  union  with  the  Lord." 
"  Yes,"  answers  the  Spirit,  "that  they  may  rest  from  their 
toil.     Their  good  deeds  go  with  them."' 

Then,  in  my  vision,  I  saw  a  white  cloud,  and  on  the  cloud     14 
there  was  sitting  one  'like  a  man.'     On  his  head  he  had  a 
crown  of  gold,  and  in  his  hand  a  sharp  sickle. 

Then  another  angel  came  out  from  the  Temple,  crying  in  a     15 
loud  voice  to  him  who  was  sitting  on  the  cloud — '  Take  your 
sickle  and  reap,  for  the  time  to  reap  has  come  ;  the  Harvest  of 
Earth  is  ready.'     He  who  was  sitting  on  the  cloud  brought     16 
his  sickle  down  upon  the  earth,  and  the  Harvest  of  Earth  was 
reaped. 

Then  another  angel  came  out  of  the  Temple  in  Heaven  ;  he,     17 
also,  had  a  sharp  sickle. 

Then  another  angel  came  out  of  the  altar ;  he  had  power     18 
over  fire,  and  he  called  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  angel  that  had 
the  sharp  sickle — '  Take  your  sharp  sickle,  and  gather  the 
bunches  from  the  Vine  of  Earth,  for  its  grapes  are  ripe.'     The     19 
angel  brought  his  sickle  down  on  the  earth  and  gathered  the 
fruit  of  the  Vine  of  Earth,  and  threw  it  into  the  great  wine- 
press of  the  Wrath  of  God.     The  '  grapes    were  trodden  in     20 
the  press'  outside  the  city  ;  and  blood  came  out  of  the  press, 
rising  as  high  as  the  bridles  of  the  horses  for  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  miles. 


V. — THE  VISION  OF  THE  SEVEN  CURSES. 

Then  I  saw  another  portent  in  the  heavens — a  great  and 
marvellous  portent — seven  angels  with  the  seven  last  Curses  ; 
because  with  them  the  Wrath  of  God  is  ended. 

Then  I  saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  sea  of  glass  mixed 
with  fire ;  and,  standing  by  this  sea  of  glass,  holding  the 
harps  of  God,  I  saw  those  who  had  come  victorious  out  of 
the  conflict  with  the  Beast  and  its  image  and  the  number  that 

10    Isa.   51.    17 ;      Ps.  75.   8 ;      Gen.    19.    24 ;     Ezek.   38.    22.        H    Isa.    34.    10. 
1*  Dan.  7.  13;  10.  16.     15-20  Joel  3.  13.     1  Lev.  26.  21. 


514  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  15-16. 

formed  its  name.     They  are  singing  the  song  of  Moses,  the     3 
Servant  of  God,  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb — 

'  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  deeds,  O  Lord, 
our  God,  the  Almighty.  Righteous  and  true  are  thy 
ways,  Eternal  King.  Who  will  not  reverence  and  4 

praise  thy  Name,  O  Lord  ?  Thou  alone  art  holy  !  All 
nations  will  come  and  worship  before  thee,  for  thy 
judgements  have  become  manifest.' 

After  this  I  saw  that  the  inmost  shrine  of  the  Tabernacle  of    5 
Revelation  in   Heaven  was  opened,  and  out  of  it  came  the     6 
seven  angels  with  the  seven  Curses.    They  were  adorned  with 
precious  stones,   pure  and   bright,   and    had   golden   girdles 
round  their  breasts.     One  of  the  four  Creatures  gave  the  seven     7 
angels  seven    golden    bowls,  filled   with   the   Wrath  of  God 
who  lives  for  ever  and  ever.     '  The  Temple  was  filled  with     8 
smoke   from   the  Glory '  and  Majesty  of  God  ;    and  no   one 
could  enter  the  Temple,  until  the  seven  Curses  inflicted  by  the 
seven  angels  were  at  an  end.  Then  I  heard  a  loud     i 

voice,  which  came  from  the  Temple,  saying  to  the  seven 
angels — '  Go  and  empty  the  seven  bowls  of  the  Wrath  of  God 
upon  the  earth.' 

The   first  angel    went   and    emptied    his    bowl   upon    the     2 
earth  ;  and  it  turned  to  loathsome  and  painful  sores  upon  all 
who  bore  the  brand  of  the  Beast  and  who  worshipped  its 
image. 

Then  the  second  angel  emptied  his  bowl  upon  the  sea  ;  and     3 
it  turned  to  blood  like  the  blood  of  a  corpse,  and  every  living 
thing  died — everything  in  the  sea. 

Then  the  third  angel  emptied  his  bowl  upon  the  rivers  and     4 
springs  of  water  ;  and  it  turned  to  blood.  And  I  heard     5 

the  Angel  of  the  Waters  saying — '  Righteous  art  thou,  thou 
who  art  and  who  wast,  the  Holy  One,  in  inflicting  this  judge- 
ment ;  for  men  shed  the  blood  of  Christ's  People  and  of  the     6 
Prophets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood  to  drink.     It  is 
what  they  deserve.'  And  I  heard  the  response  from  the     7 

altar — '  Yes,  O  Lord,  our  God,  the  Almighty,  true  and 
righteous  are  thy  judgements.' 

Then  the  fourth  angel  emptied  his  bowl  upon  the  sun  ;  and     8 
he  was  permitted  to  scorch  men   with  fire  ;    and  men  were    9 
scorched  by  the  intense  heat.     They  blasphemed  the  Name  of 
God  who  controlled  these  Curses,  yet  they  did  not  repent  and 
give  him  praise. 

Then  the  fifth  angel  emptied  his  bowl  upon  the  throne  of  the     ic 

*  Exod.  15.  i  ;  Josh.  14.  7;  Ps.  MI.  a;  Exod.  34.  10;  Ps.  139.  14  ;  Amos  4.  13 
(Septuagint) ;  Deut.  33.  4 ;  Jer.  10.  10  (Hebrew).  *  Jer.  10.  7  (Hebrew) ; 
Ps.  86.  q;  Mai.  i.  n  ;  Dcut.  32.  4;  Ps.  145.  17.  •''  Exod.  40.  34.  "  Lev.  26.  21  ; 
Ezek.  28.  13.  *  Isa.  6.  4  ;  Exod.  40.  34— 35  ;  Lev.  26.  21.  ]  Isa.  66.  6  ;  Ps.  69.  24; 
Jer.  10.25;  Zeph.  3.  8.  2  Exod.  9.  9—11;  Deut.  28. 35.  :1  ExoJ.  7.  20  (Hebrew),  21. 
*  Ps.  78.  44;  Exod.  7.  30  (Hebrew).  *  Ps.  119.  137;  Exod.  3.  14;  Isa.  41.  4; 
Deut.  32.  4;  Ps.  145.  17.  8  PH.  79.  3  Isa.  49.  26.  *  Amos  4.  13  (Septuagint) ; 
P».  19.  9;  119.  137.  10  Exod.  10.  aa. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  16-17.  515 

Beast ;  and  darkness  fell  upon  its  Kingdom.     Men  gnawed 
their  tongues  for  pain,  and  blasphemed  the  God  of  Heaven,     n 
because  of  their  pains  and  because  of  their  sores ;  yet  they  did 
not  repent  of  what  they  had  done. 

Then  the  sixth  angel  emptied  his  bowl  upon  the  great  river     12 
Euphrates  ;    and  the   water  in  the   river   was   dried   up,  so 
that   the   road   for  the  Kings   of  the  East  might   be   made 
ready.  And  I  saw  three  foul  spirits,  like  frogs,  come     13 

from  the  mouth  of  the  Dragon  and  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Beast  and  from  the  mouth  of  the  false  Prophet.     They  are  the     14 
spirits  of  demons,  and  perform  marvels  ;  they  go  to  kings  all 
over  the  world,  to  collect  them  for  the  battle  on  the  Great 
Day  of  Almighty  God.  ('I  am  coming  like  a  thief!     15 

Happy  will  he  be  who  is  on  the  watch,  and  keeps  his  clothing 
at  hand,  so  that  he  will  not  have  to  walk  about  unclothed  and 
let  men  see  his  nakedness.')  And  the  spirits  collected  16 

the  kings  at  the  place  called  in  Hebrew  '  Har-Magedon.' 

Then    the    seventh    Angel    emptied    his    bowl    upon    the     17 
air.  (A  loud  voice  came  from  the  throne  in  the  Temple  ; 

it  said  '  All  is  over.')  There  followed 'flashes  of  lightning,     18 

cries,  and  peals  of  thunder';    and  there  was  a  great  earth- 
quake, such  as  had  not  occurred  since  man  began  to  be  upon 
the  earth — none  so  great  ;  and  the  great  City  was  torn  in  three,      19 
and  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell,  and  God  remembered  Babylon 
the  Great,  and  gave  her  the  maddening  wine-cup  of  his  Wrath  ; 
and  every  island  vanished,  and  the   mountains  disappeared.     20 
Great  hailstones,  a  pound  in  weight,  are  falling  upon   men     21 
from  the  heavens.     And  men  blasphemed  God  because  of  the 
Curse  of  the  hail,  for  it  was  a  very  terrible  Curse. 


VI. — THE  DOOM  OF  THE  ENEMIES  OF  THE  CHRIST. 

Then  one  of  the  seven  angels  who  held  the  seven  bowls  came 
and  spoke  to  me.  '  Come  here,'  he  said,  '  and  I  will  show  you 
the  sentence  passed  upon  that  Great  Harlot  who  is  seated  at 
the  meeting  of  many  waters,  and  with  whom  all  the  kings  of 
the  earth  have  had  licentious  intercourse  ;  while  all  who  live 
upon  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  by  the  wine  of  her 
licentiousness.'  And  he  bore  me  away  in  a  trance  to  a  lonely 
place,  and  I  saw  a  woman  seated  upon  a  scarlet  Beast,  which 
was  covered  with  blasphemous  names  ;  it  had  seven  heads 
and  ten  horns.  The  woman  was  clothed  in  purple  and  scarlet, 
and  glittering  with  gold  ornaments,  precious  stones,  and 
pearls.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  gold  cup,  full  of  idolatrous 

11  Dan.  2.  19  (Chaldaean).      12  Is 
Deut.  1.7;  Josh.  i.  4 ;  Isa.  , 

16  Zech.  12.  n  (Hebrew).      :    r_ 

g-int) ;   Dan.   12.    i.      19  Dan.  4.   30;    Isa.   51.   17;   Jer.  25.   15.     21  Exod.  9.  34, 
*-2  Jer.  51.  13  (Hebrew),  7.    2  Isa.  33.  17  (Hebrew).    3  Dan.  7.  7.    4  Jer.  51.  7, 


).  12  Isa.  44.  27  ;  Jer.  50.  38  (Hebrew) ;  Gen.  15.  18; 
41.  2,  25.  13  Exod.  8.  3.  "  Amos  4.  13  (Septuagint). 
1'  Isa.  66.  6-  I8  Exod.  19.  16  (Hebrew  and  Septua- 


516  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  17—18. 

abominations,  and  the  unclean  fruits  of  her  licentiousness  ; 
while  on  her  forehead  there  was  written  this  mystic  name —    5 
'  BABYLON  THE  GREAT,  THE  MOTHER  OF  HARLOTS  AND  OF 
ALL  IDOLATROUS  ABOMINATIONS  UPON  EARTH.'    And  I  saw  the    6 
woman  drunk  with  the  blood  of  Christ's  People  and  with  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  for  Jesus.  When  I  saw  her,  I  was 

amazed  beyond  measure  ;    but  the  angel  said  to  me — '  Why     7 
were  you  amazed  ?     I  will  tell  you  the  mystic  meaning  of  the 
vision  of  this  woman,  and  of  the  Beast,  with  the  seven,  heads 
and  ten  horns,  that  carries  her.     The  Beast  that  you  saw  was,     8 
but  is  not,  and  is  about  to  rise  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  is 
on  its  way  to  destruction.    Those  who  are  living  on  earth  will 
be  amazed — those  whose  names  have  not  been  written  in  the 
Book  of  Life  from  the  foundation  of  the  world — when  they  see 
that  the  Beast  was,  but  is  not,  and  yet  will  come.'  (Here     9 

there  is  need  for  the  discerning  mind.)     The  seven  heads  are 
seven  mountains  upon  which  the  woman  is  seated.     They  are     10 
also  seven  kings  ;   of  whom  five  have  fallen  and  one  remains, 
while  one  is  not  yet  come.     When  he  comes,  he  must  stay  for 
a  little  while.     So  must  the  Beast  that  was,  but  is  not.     He     1 1 
counts  as  an  eighth  king,  although  he  is  one  of  the  seven, 
and  is  on  his  way  to  destruction.    The  ten  horns  that  you  saw     12 
are  ten  kings,  who  have  not  yet  received  their  kingdoms,  but 
for  an  hour  they  receive  the  authority  of  kings,  together  with 
the   Beast.     These  kings  are  of  one   mind  in   surrendering     13 
their  power  and  authority  to  the  Beast.     They  will  fight  with     14 
the  Lamb,  but  the  Lamb  will  conquer  them,  for  he  is  Lord  of 
lords  and  King  of  kings  ;    so,  too,  will  those  with  him  who 
have  received  the  Call  and  are  chosen  and  faithful.  And     15 

the  angel  said  to  me — 'The  waters  that  you  saw,  where  the 
Harlot  is  seated,    are    throngs    of    people    and  men  of  all 
nations  and  languages.    The  ten  horns  that  you  saw,  and  the     16 
Beast — they  will  hate  the  Harlot,  and  cause  her  to  become 
deserted  and  strip  her  bare  ;  they  will  eat  her  very  flesh  and 
utterly  consume  her  with  fire.     For  God  has  put  it  into  their     17 
minds  to  carry  out  his  purpose,  in  carrying  out  their  common 
purpose  and  surrendering  their  kingdoms  to  the  Beast,  until 
God's  decrees  shall  be  executed.     As  for  the  woman  whom     18 
you  saw,  she  is  the  great  city  that  holds  sway  over  all  the 
kings  of  the  earth.' 

After  this  I  saw  another  angel,  descending  from  Heaven,     i 
invested  with  great  authority  ;  and  the  earth  was  illuminated 
by  his  splendour.     With  a  mighty  voice  he  cried — '  She  has     2 
fallen  !   She  has  fallen — Babylon  the  Great  !   She  has  become 
.'in  abode  of  demons,  a  stronghold  of  every  wicked  spirit,  a 
stronghold  of  every  foul  and  hateful  bird.     l<or,  after  drinking     3 


* 

8  Dan.  4.  30.  «  Dan.  7.3;  la.  i  ;  Ps.  &).  aS.  '2  Dan.  7.  14.  »  I 
Dan.  a.  47.  «  Jcr.  51.  13  (Hebrew).  "  Ps.  a.  a ;  8q.  a?.  2  I8a.  3I.  9; 
Jer.  9.  ii  ;  Iga.  13.  ai ;  34.  14.  3  Jer.  p.  7  ;  3^.  16,  27 ;  Isa.  33.  17. 


14  Dcut.  10.  17 ; 
Dan.  4.  30  ; 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  18.  517 

the  maddening  wine  of  her  licentiousness,  all  the  nations  have 
fallen  ;  while  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  had  licentious 
intercourse  with  her,  and  the  merchants  of  the  earth  have 
grown  rich  through  the  excess  of  her  luxury.'  Then  I  4 

heard  another  voice  from  Heaven  saying — '  Come  out  of  her, 
my  People,  that  you  may  not  participate  in  her  sins,  and  that 
you  may  not  suffer  from  the  Curses  inflicted  upon  her.     For     5 
her  sins  are  heaped  up  to  the  heavens,  and  God  has  not  for- 
gotten her  misdeeds.     Pay  her  back  the  treatment  with  which     6 
she  has  treated  you  ;  yes,  repay  twice  over  what  her  actions 
deserve  ;  in  the  cup  which  she  mixed  for  you,  mix  for  her  as 
much  again  ;  for  her  self-glorification  and  her  luxury,  give  her    7 
now  an  equal  measure  of  torture  and  misery.     In  her  heart 
she  says  '  I  sit  here  a  queen  ;  no  widow  am  I  ;  I  shall  never 
know  misery.'     Therefore  in  one  day  shall  these  Curses  befall     8 
her — death,  misery,  and  famine,  and  she  shall  be  utterly  con- 
sumed by  fire  ;  for  mighty  is  the  Lord  God  who  condemned 
her.     All  the  kings  of  the  earth  who  had  licentious  intercourse     9 
with  her  and  shared  her  luxury  will  weep  and  lament  over  her, 
when  they  see  the  smoke  from  the  burning  city,  while  they     10 
stand  at  a  distance,  horrified  at  her  torture,  and  cry — '  Alas  ! 
Alas  !    Great  City  !  O  mighty  City  of  Babylon  !     In  a  single 
hour  your  judgement  fell.     And  the  merchants  of  the  earth     1 1 
weep  and  wail  over  her,  because  no  longer  does  any  one  buy 
their  cargoes — their  cargoes  of  gold,  or  silver,  or  precious     12 
stones,  or  pearls,  or  fine  linen,  or  purple  robes,  or  silk,  or  scarlet 
cloth  ;  nor  their  many  scented  woods  ;  nor  their  many  articles 
of  ivory  ;  nor  their  many  articles  of  choicest  wood,  or  brass, 
or  iron,  or  marble  ;  nor  their  cinnamon,  or  spice,  or  incense,     13 
or  perfumes,  or  frankincense,  or  wine,  or  oil,  or  fine  flour,  or 
wheat,   or  cattle,   or   sheep ;    nor  their   horses,   or  chariots, 
or   slaves ;    nor  the   bodies   and   souls   of  men.      The   fruit     14 
that  your  soul  craved  is  no  longer  within  your  reach,  and 
all  dainties  and  luxuries  are  lost  to  you,  never  to  be  found 
again.'     The  merchants  who  sold  these  things,  and  grew  rich     15 
by  her,  will  stand  at  a  distance  weeping  and  wailing,  horrified 
at  her  torture,  and  crying — '  Alas  !  Alas  !  Great  City  !  O  City     16 
clothed  in  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and  scarlet  cloth  !     O  City 
adorned  with  gold  ornaments,  and  precious  stones,  and  pearls  ! 
In  a  single  hour  your  vast  wealth  vanished.'     Every  ship's     17 
captain  and  all  who  sail  to  any  port,  and  sailors,  and  all  who     • 
get  their  living  from  the  sea,  stood  at  a  distance,  and  seeing     18 
the  smoke  from  the  burning  city,  cried — '  What  city  can  com- 
pare with  the  Great  City  ?  '     They  threw  dust  on  their  heads,     19 
and,  as  they  wept  and  wailed,  they  cried — '  Alas  !  Alas  !  Great 


518  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  18—19. 

City  !    All  who  have  ships  on  the  sea  grew  rich  through  her 
magnificence.     In  a  single  hour  it  has  vanished.'  Rejoice     20 

over  her,  O  Heaven,  and  People  of  Christ,  and  Apostles,  and 
Prophets,  for  God  has  avenged  you  on  her  ! 

Then  a  mighty  angel  took  up  a  stone  like  a  great  millstone,     21 
and  threw  it  into  the  sea,  crying — '  So  shall   Babylon,  the 
Great  City,  be  violently  overthrown,  never  more  to  be  seen.    No     22 
more  shall  the  music  of  harpers,  or  minstrels,  or  fluteplayers,  or 
trumpeters  be  heard  in  you  ;  no  more  shall  any  worker,  skilled 
in  any  art,  be  found  in  you  ;  no  more  shall  the  sound  of  a  mill 
be  heard  in  you  ;  no  more  shall  the  light  of  a  lamp  shine  in     23 
you  ;  no  more  shall  the  voices  of  bridegroom  and  bride  be 
heard  in  you.     Your  merchants  were  the  great  men  of  the 
earth,    for   all   the   nations  were   deceived   by  your  magical 
charms.     Yes,  and  in  her  was  to  be  found  the  blood  of  the     24 
Prophets  and  of  Christ's  People,  and  of  all  who  have  been  put 
to  death  upon  the  earth.' 

After  this,  I  heard  what  seemed  to  be  a  great  shout  from  a     i 
vast  throng  in  Heaven,  crying — 

'  Hallelujah  !   To  our  God  belong  Salvation,  and 
Glory,  and    Power,  for   true  and   righteous   are   his  2 

judgements.  For  he  has  passed  judgement  upon 
the  Great  Harlot  who  was  corrupting  the  earth  by 
her  licentiousness,  and  he  has  taken  vengeance  upon 
her  for  the  blood  of  his  servants.' 

Again  they  cried — '  Hallelujah  ! '    And  the    smoke    from  her     3 
ruins  rises  for  ever  and  ever.    Then  the  twenty-four  Councillors     4 
and  the  four  Creatures  prostrated  themselves  and  worshipped 
God    who    was    seated    upon    the    throne,    crying — '  Amen,     5 
Hallelujah  ! ' ;  and  from  the  throne  there  came  a  voice  which 
said — 

'  Praise  our  God  all  you  who  serve  him, 

You  who  reverence  him,  both  high  and  low.' 
Then    I    heard    '  what   seemed  to  be  the  shout  of  a  vast     6 
throng,  like  the  sound  of  many  waters,'  and  like  the  sound 
of  loud  peals  of  thunder,  crying — 

'  Hallelujah  !    For  the  Lord  is   King,  our  God, 
the  Almighty.     Let  us  rejoice   and  exult ;     and  we  7 

will  pay  him  honour,  for  the  hour  for  the  Marriage 
of  the  Lamb  has  come,  and  his  Bride  has  made  her- 
self ready.     And  to  her  it  has  been  granted  to  robe  8 
herself  in  fine  linen,  white  and  pure,  for  that  linen  is 
the  good  deeds  of  the  People  of  Christ.' 

*>  Dcut.  33.  43.  21  Jer.  51.  63—64  ;  Ezek.  a6.  ai  ;  Dan.  4.  30.  &  Ezelc.  aft.  13. 
B-4t  Jcr.  35.  10  (Hebrew).  B  Isa.  33.  8;  47.  9.  '**  Jer.  51.  49.  1  Pa.  104.  35. 
2  Ps.  19.  9;  119.  137  ;  Deut.  33.  43;  a  Kings  9.  7.  3  Isa.  34.  10.  3~ *  Ps.  104.  35. 
*  Isa.  6.  i  ;  Ps.  47.  8.  6  Ps.  134.  i ;  135.  i  ;  33.  93;  nj.  13.  6  Dan.  10.  6; 
Ezek.  i.  34 ;  43.  a  (Hebrew) ;  Pt.  104.  35  ;  93.  i ;  99.  i ;  Amos  4.  13  (Septuagiot) ; 
6—7  P$.  97.  i. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  19-2O.  519 

Then  a  voice  said  to  me  'Write — "  Blessed  are  those  who    9 
have  been  summoned  to  the  marriage  feast  of  the  Lamb.'" 
And    the   voice   said — '  These   words   of  God   are   true.'      I     10 
prostrated  myself  at  the  feet  of  him  who  spoke  to  worship  him, 
but  he  said  to  me — '  Forbear ;  I  am  your  fellow-servant,  and 
the  fellow-servant  of  your  Brothers  who  bear  their  testimony 
to  Jesus.     Worship   God.     For   to  bear  testimony  to  Jesus 
needs  the  inspiration  of  the  Prophets.' 

Then  I  saw  that  Heaven  lay  open.     There  appears  a  white     1 1 
horse  ;  its  rider  is  called  '  Faithful '  and  '  True ' ;  righteously 
does  he  judge  and  make  war.     His  eyes  are  flaming  fires  ;  on     12 
his  head  there  are  many  diadems,  and  he  bears  a  name,  writ- 
ten, which  no  one  knows  but  himself;  he  has  been  clothed  in     13 
a  garment  sprinkled  with  blood  ;  and  the  name  by  which  he 
is   called   is    'The  Word   of  God.'     The   armies   of  Heaven     14 
followed  him,  mounted  on  white  horses  and  clothed  in   fine 
linen,  white  and  pure.    From  his  mouth  comes  a  sharp  sword,     15 
with  which  '  to  smite  the  nations  ;  and  he  will  rule  them  with 
an  iron  rod.'     He   'treads  the  grapes  in    the  press'  of  the 
maddening  wine  of  the  Wrath  of  Almighty  God  ;  and  on  his     16 
robe  and  on  his  thigh  he  has  this  name  written—  '  KING  OF 
KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS.' 

Then  I  saw  an  angel  standing  on  the  sun.     He  cried  in  a     17 
loud  voice  to  all  the  birds  that  fly  in  mid-heaven — '  Gather 
and  come  to  the  great  feast  of  God,  to  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,     18 
and  the  flesh  of  commanders,  and  the  flesh  of  mighty  men, 
and  the  flesh  of  horses  and  their  riders,  and  the  flesh  of  all 
freemen  and  slaves,  and  of  high  and  low.' 

Then  I  saw  the  Beast  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  their     19 
armies,  gathered  together  to  fight  with  him  who  saf  on  the 
horse  and  with  his  army.     The  Beast  was  captured,  and  with     20 
him  was  taken  the  false  Prophet,  who  performed  the  marvels 
before  the  eyes  of  the  Beast,  with  which  he  deceived  those 
who   had   received    the   brand   of  the  Beast  and   those  who 
worshipped   his   image.     Alive,    they   were   thrown,  both   of 
them,  into  the  fiery  lake  'of  burning  sulphur.'     The  rest  were     21 
killed  by  the  sword  which  came  out  of  the  mouth  of  him  who 
rode  upon  the  horse  ;  and  all  the  birds  feJ  upon  their  flesh. 

Then  I  saw  an  angel  coming  down  from  Heaven,  with  the     i 
key  of  the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand.     He     2 
seized  the  Dragon,  the  primeval  Serpent  (who  is  the  '  Devil ' 
or  '  Satan '),  and  bound  him  in  chains  for  a  thousand  years. 
He  flung  him  into  the  bottomless  pit  and  locked  it,  and  set     3 
his  seal  upon  it ;   that  he  should  not  deceive  the  nations  any 

»  Ezek.  i.  i  ;  Ps.  96.  13.  ™  Dan.  10.  6.  15  Isa.  n.  4 :  Ps.  2.  8—9  ;  Joel  3.  13; 
Amos  4.  13  (Septuagint).  16  Deut.  10.  17  ;  Dan.  2.  47.  17—18  Ezek.  39.  17 — 18,  20. 
I9  Ps.  x.  2.  20  Gen.  19.  24 ;  Isn.  30.  33  ;  Ezek.  38.  22.  21  Ezek.  39.  17 — 18,  20. 
2  Gen.  3.  i  ;  Zech.  3.  1—2  (Septuagint  a.mj  ilebrew). 


520  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  2O-21. 

more,  until  the  thousand  years  were  ended.     After  that  he 
must  be  let  loose  for  a  while. 

Then   I   saw  thrones,  and  to  those  who  took  their  seats     4 
upon  them  authority  was  given  to  act  as  judges.     And  I  saw 
the  souls  of  those  who  had  been  beheaded  because  of  the 
testimony  to  Jesus  and  because  of  the  Message  of  God,  for 
they  had  refused  to  worship  the  Beast  or  its  image,  and  had 
not   received   the    brand    on    their    foreheads   and    on    their 
hands.     They  were  restored  to  life,  and  they  reigned  with  the 
Christ  for  a  thousand  years.     (The  rest  of  the  dead  were  not     5 
restored  to  life  till  the  thousand  years  were  ended.)     This  is 
the  First  Resurrection.     Blessed  and   holy  will  he  be  who     6 
shares  in  that   First  Resurrection.     The  second   Death  has 
no  power  over  them  ;  but  they  will  be  priests  of  God  and  the 
Christ,  and  they  will  reign  with  him  for  the  thousand  years. 

When  the  thousand  years  are  ended,  Satan  will  be  let  loose     7 
from  his  prison,  and  he  will  come  out  to  deceive  the  nations     8 
that  live  in  'the  four  corners  of  the  earth — Gog  and  Magog.' 
He  will  come  to  gather  them  together  for  battle  ;  and  their 
number  will  be  as  great  as  the  sand  on  the  sea-shore.     They    9 
went  up  over  the  breadth  of  the  whole  earth,  and  surrounded 
the   camp   of  Christ's    People    and    the   beloved  city.     Then 
fire  fell  from  the  heavens  and  consumed  them  ;  and  the  Devil,     10 
their  deceiver,  was  hurled  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  sulphur, 
where  the  Beast  and  the  false  Prophet  already  were,  and  they 
will  be  tortured  day  and  night  for  ever  and  ever. 

Then  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  him  who  was  seated     n 
on  it.     '  The  earth  and  the  heavens  fled  from  his  presence  ;  no 
place  was  left   for  them.'      And  I  saw  the  dead,   high  and     12 
low,  standing  before  the  throne  ;    and  books  were  opened. 
Then  another  book  was  opened,  the  Book  of  Life  ;  and  the 
dead  were  judged,  according  to  their  actions,  by  what  was 
written  in  the  books.     The  sea  gave  up  its  dead,  and  Death     13 
and  the  Lord  of  the  Place  of  Death  gave  up  their  dead  ;  and 
they  were  judged,  one  by  one,  each  according  to  his  actions. 
Then  Death  and  the  Lord  of  the  Place  of  Death  were  hurled     14 
into  the  lake  of  fire.     This  is  the  Second  Death — the  lake  of 
fire;  and  all  whose  names  'were  not  found  written  in  the     15 
Book  of  Life  '  were  hurled  into  the  lake  of  fire. 

VII. — THE  NEW  CREATION. 

Then  I  saw  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.     The   former     i 
heavens  and  the  former  earth  had  passed  away  ;  and  the  sea 
has  ceased   to  be.      And  I    saw  the  Holy  City,  Jerusalem,     2 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  21.  521 

descending  new  out  of  Heaven  from  God,  like  a  bride  adorned 
in  readiness  for  her  husband.     And  I  heard  a  loud  voice  from     3 
the  throne,  which  said — '  See  !  the  Tabernacle  of  God  is  set 
up  among  men.     God  will  dwell  among  them,  and  they  will 
be  his  Peoples,  and  God  himself  will  be  among  them,  and  he     4 
will  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.     There  will  be  no  more 
death,  nor  will  there  be  any  more  grief  or  crying  or  pain.   The 
old  order  has  passed  away.'     And  he  who  was  seated  on  the     5 
throne  said — '  See,   I  make  all  things   new  ! '  And  he  said — 
'Write  this,  for  these  words  may  be  trusted   and  are  true.' 
And  he  said  to  me — '  They  are  fulfilled.     I  am  the  Alpha  and     6 
the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End.     To  him  who  thirsts 
I  will  give  of  the  spring  of  the  Water  of  Life,  freely.     He  who     7 
conquers  shall  enter  into  possession  of  these  things,  and  I  will 
be  his  God,  and  he  shall  be  my  Son.     But  as  for  cowards,  un-     8 
believers,    the   degraded,    murderers,    the   impure,  sorcerers, 
idolaters,  and  all  liars — their  place  will  be  in  the  burning  lake 
of  fire  and  sulphur.     That  is  the  Second  Death.' 

Then  one  of  the  seven  angels  who  had  the  seven  bowls,  and     9 
were  laden  with  the  seven  last  Curses,  came  and  spoke  to  me. 
'  Come  here,'  he  said,  '  and  I  will  show  you  the  Bride,  the  Wife 
of  the  Lamb.'     He  carried  me  away  in  a  trance  to  a  great     10 
high  mountain,  and  showed  me  Jerusalem,  the   Holy  City, 
descending  out  of  Heaven  from  God,  filled  with  the  glory  of    n 
God.     Its  brilliance  was  like  that  of  some  very  precious  stone, 
like  a  jasper,  transparent  as  crystal.     It  had  a  great  high     12 
wall,  in  which  were  twelve  gates  ;  and  at  these  gates  there 
were  twelve  angels,  and  there  were  names  inscribed  on  the 
gates,  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  Israelites.   'There     13 
were  three  gates  on  the  east,  three  gates  on  the  north,  three 
gates  on  the  south,  and  three  gates  on  the  west.'     The  wall  of    14 
the  City  had  twelve  foundation  stones,  on  which  were  the  twelve 
names  of  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lamb.  And  the     15 

angel  who  was  speaking  to  me  had  as  a  measure  a  gold 
rod,  with  which  to  measure  the  City  and  its  gates  and  its 
wall.     The  City  is  square  ;  the  length  and  the  breadth  are  the     16 
same.     The  angel  measured  with  his  rod  ;  it  was  twelve  hun- 
dred miles  ;    its  length,  and  breadth,  and  height  are  equal. 
Then  he  measured  the  wall ;    it  was  two  hundred  and  eighty-     17 
eight  feet,  as  men  measure,  that  is  as  the  angel  measured. 
The  material  of  the  wall  of  the  City  was  jasper,  and  the  City     18 
was  built  of  pure  gold,  which  shone  like  clear  glass.     The     19 
foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  City  were  ornamented  with 
every  kind  of  precious  stone.     The  first  foundation  stone  was 

3  Ezek.  37.  27;  Zech.  2.  10 — n  ;  Isa.  8.  8.  4  Isa.  25.  8;  Jer.  31.  16; 
Isa.  65.  19,  17.  5  Isa.  6.  i ;  Ps.  47.  8  ;  Isa.  43.  19.  6  Isa.  $$.  f  •  Zech.  14.  8. 
~  2  Sam.  7.  14 ;  Ps.  89.  26.  8  Gen.  19.  24  ;  Isa.  30.  33  ;  Ezek.  38.  22.  9  Lev.  26.  21. 
1°  Ezek.  40.  i—2 ;  Isa.  52.  i.  "  Isa.  58.  8  ;  60.  1—2,  19.  12-13  Ezek.  48.  31—34 
fHehrew).  15-17  Ezek.  40.  3,  5-  16  Ezek.  43.  16.  18-1»  Isa.  54.  11-12. 


522  REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  21  -22. 

a  jasper  ;  the  second  a  sapphire  ;  the  third  a  chalcedony  ;  the 
fourth  an  emerald  ;  the  fifth  a  sardonyx  ;  the  sixth  a  carnelian  ;     20 
the  seventh  a  chrysolite  ;  the  eighth  a  beryl  ;  the  ninth  a  topaz  ; 
the  tenth  a  chrysoprase  ;    the  eleventh  a  hyacinth  ;    and  the 
twelfth  an  amethyst.     The  twelve  gates  were  made  of  twelve     21 
pearls,  each  gate  of  one  pearl.     The  street  of  the  City  was  of 
pure  gold,  transparent  as  glass.  And  I  saw  no  Temple     22 

there,  for  the  Lord,  our  God,  the  Almighty,  and  the  Lamb  are 
its  Temple.     The  City  has  no  need  of  '  the  sun  or  the  moon  to     23 
shine  upon  it,  for  the  Glory  of  God  illuminated  it,'  and  its 
Lamp  was  the  Lamb.      '  The  nations  walk  by  the  light  of  it ;     24 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  bring  their  glory  into  it.      Its  gates     25 
will  never  be  shut  by  day,'  and  there  will  be  no  night  there. 
And  men  will  bring  the  glory  and  honour  of  the  nations  into     26 
it.     '  Never  shall  any  unhallowed  thing  enter  it,'  nor  he  whose     27 
life  is  shameful  and  false,  but  only  '  those  whose  names  have 
been  written  in  the  Lamb's   Book  of  Life.'     And  the  angel     i 
showed  me  '  a  river  of  the  Water  of  Life,'  as  clear  as  crystal, 
issuing  from  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb,  in  the  middle     2 
of  the  street  of  the  City.     On  each  side  of  the  river  was  a  Tree 
of  Life  which  bore  twelve  kinds  of  fruit,   yielding  its  fruit 
each  month  ;  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing 
of  the  nations.     '  Every  thing  that  is  accursed  will  cease  to     3 
be.'     The  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  will  be  within  it, 
and  his  servants  will  worship  him  ;  they  will  see  his  face,  and     4 
his  name  will  be  on  their  foreheads.     Night  will  cease  to  be.     5 
They  have  no  need  of  the  light  of  a  lamp,  nor  have  they  the 
light  of  the  sun  ;  for  the  '  Lord  God  will  be  their  light,  and 
they  will  reign  for  ever  and  ever.' 

VI II.  — CONCLUSION. 

Then  the  angel  said  to  me — '  These  words  may  be  trusted     6 
and  are  true.     The  Lord,  the  God  that  inspires  the  Prophets, 
sent  his  angel  to  show  his  servants  what  must  quickly  take 
place  ;    and  he  said  "  I  will  come  quickly."     Blessed  will  he     7 
be  who  lays  to  heart  the  words  of  the  prophecy  contained  in 
this  book.' 

It  was  I,  John,  who  heard  and  saw  these  things  ;  and,  when     8 
I  heard  and  saw  them,  I  prostrated  myself  in  worship  at  the 
feet  of  the  angel  that  showed  them  to  me.     But  he  said  to    9 
me — '  Forbear  ;    I   am  your  fellow-servant,   and    the   fellow- 
servant  of  your  Brothers,  the  Prophets,  and  of  all  who  lay  to 
heart  the  words  in  this  book.     Worship  God.' 

Then  the  angel  said  to  me — '  Do  not  keep  secret  the  words     10 

22  Amos  4.  13  (Septuatfint).  23-28  I8a.  60.  1—3,  6,  10— u,  13,  19.  w  Pa.  89.  afj. 
27  I»a.  53.  i  ;  Dan.  la.  i :  Pa.  69.  a8.  1  Zech.  14.  8.  1-2  Gen.  a.  9—10;  3.  aa; 
F.zck.  47.  i,  7,  la.  »  Zech.  14.  n.  *  Pa.  if.  15.  8  J8a,  fc,.  ,9;  Dan.  7.  18. 
•  Don.  a.  aS,  *  Isa.  40.  to.  10  Dan.  12.  4. 


REVELATION  OF  JOHN,  22.  523 

of  the  prophecy  contained  in  this  book ;    for  The  Time  is 
near.     Let  the  wrong-doer  continue  to  do  wrong  ;   the  filthy-     1 1 
minded  man  continue  to  be  filthy  ;  the  righteous  man  continue 
to  act  righteously  ;     and  the   holy-minded   man  continue  to 
be  holy.'  ('  I  will  come  quickly.     I  bring  my  rewards     12 

with  me,  to  give  to  each  man  what  his  actions  deserve.     I  am     13 
the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Begin- 
ning and  the  End.')  Blessed  will  they  be  who  wash     14 
their  robes,  that  they  may  have  the  right  to  approach  the  Tree 
of  Life,  and  may  enter  the  City  by  the  gates.     Outside  will     15 
be  the  filthy,  the  sorcerers,  the  impure,  the  murderers,    the 
idolaters,  and  all  who  love  the  false  and  live  it.' 

'  I,  Jesus,  sent  my  angel  to  bear  testimony  to  you  about     16 
these  things  before  the  Churches.     I  am  the  Scion  and  the 
Offspring  of  David,  the  bright  Star  of  the  Morning.' 

'Come,'  say  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride;    and  let  him  who     17 
hears  say  '  Come. '     Let  him  who  thirsts  come  ;  let  him  who 
will  take  the  Water  of  Life  freely. 

I  declare  to  all  who  hear  the  words  of  the  prophecy  con-     18 
tained  in  this  book — '  If  anyone  adds  to  it,  God  will  add  to  his 
troubles  the  Curses  described  in  this  book  ;   and  if  any  one     19 
takes  away  any  of  the  words  in  the  book  containing  this 
prophecy,  God  will  take  away  his  share  in  the  Tree  of  Life, 
and  in  the  Holy  City — as  described  in  this  book.' 

He  whose  testimony  this  is  says — '  Assuredly  I  will  come     20 
quickly.'     'Amen,  come,  Lord  Jesus.' 

May  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  be  with   his     21 
People. 

12  Isa.  40.  10 ;  Ps.  28.  4;  62.  12;  Jer.  17.  10.  13  Isa.  44.  6  (Hebrew);  48.  ia 
(Hebrew).  1*  Gen.  49.  n  ;  2.  9  ;  3.  32.  16  Isa.  ,,.  Io.  17  Isa.  55.  i  ;  Zech.  14,  & 
18—19  Deut.  4.  x  ;  12.  32  ;  29.  ao.  1*  Gen.  2.  9  ;  3.  aa. 


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